Q.630.7 
II  6sr 
no.  38 
cop.  5 


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OGLE    COUNTY    SOILS 


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To  renew  call  Telephone  Center,  333  8400       '^^  Un.vers.fy. 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station 


SOIL  REPORT  NO.  38 


OGLE  COUNTY  SOILS 

Bv  R.  S.  SMITH,  O,  I.  ELLIS,  E.  K.  DeTURK,  F.  C.  BAUER, 
AND  L.  H.  SMITH 


UBBAiNA,  ILLINOIS,  SEPTEMBER,  1927 


The  Soil  Survey  of  Illinois  was  organized  under  the  general  supervision 
of  Professor  Cyril  G.  Hopkins,  with  Professor  Jeremiah  G.  Mosier  directly 
in  charge  of  soil  classification  and  mapping.  After  working  in  association 
on  this  undertaking  for  eighteen  years.  Professor  Hopkins  died  and  Profes- 
sor Mosier  followed  two  years  later.  The  work  of  these  two  men  enters  so 
intimately  into  the  whole  project  of  the  Illinois  Soil  Survey  that  it  is  im- 
possible to  disassociate  their  names  from  the  individual  county  reports. 
Therefore  recognition  is  hereby  accorded  Professors  Hopkins  and  Mosier  for 
their  contribution  to  the  work  resulting  in  this  publication. 


STATE  ADVISORY  COMMITTEE  ON  SOIL  INVESTIGATIONS 

1926-1927 


Ralph  All6n,  Delavan 

F.  I.  Marm,  Gilman 

N.  F.  Goodwin,  Palestine 


A.  N.  Abbott,  Morrison 
G.  F.  TuUock,  Eockford 
W.  E.  Riegel,  Tolono 


RESEARCH  AND  TEACHING  STAFF  IN  SOILS 
1926-1927 

,  Herbert  W.  Munif ord,  Director  of  the  Experiment  Station 
W.  L.  Birrlisou,  Head  of  Agnmomv  Department 


Soil  Physics  and  Mapping 
R.  S.  Smith,  Chief 
O.  I.  Ellis,  Assistant  Chief 

D.  C.  Wimer,  Assistant  Chief 

E.  A.  Norton,  Associate 
M.  B,  Harland,  Associate 
R.  S.  Staufifer,  Associate 
D.  C.  Maxwell,  Assistant 
M.  R.  Isaacson,  Assistant 


Soil  Fertility  and  Analysis 

E.  E.  DeTurk,  Chief 

V.  E.  Spencer,  Associate 

F.  H.  Crane,  Associate 

J.  C.  Anderson,  First  Assistant 
li.  H.  Bray,. First  Assistant 

E.  G.  Sieveking,  First  Assistant 
H.  A.  Lunt,  First  Assistant 

R.  Cowart,  Assistant 

M.  P.  Catherwood,  Assistant 

F.  M.  Willliite,  Assistant 


Soil  Experiment  Fieldg 
F.  C.  Bauer,  Chief* 
H.  J.  Snider,  Assistant  Chief 
John  Lajnb,  Jr.,  Associate 
M.  A.  Hein,  Associate 
C.  J.  Badger,  Associate 
A.  L.  Lang,  Associate 
A.  U.  Thor,  First  Assistant 
J.  E.  McKittrick,  Assistant 
L.  B.  Miller,  Assistant 

Soil  Biology 

O.  H.  Sears,  Assistant  Chief 
F.  M.  Clark,  Assistant 
W.  R.  Carroll,  Assistant 
W.  R.  Paden,  Assistant 

Soils  Extension 

F.  C.  Bauer,  Professor* 
C.  M.  Linsley,  Associate 

Soil  Survey  Fuhlications 
L.  H.  Smith,  Chief 
F.  W.  Gault,  Scientific  Assistant 
Nellie  Boucher  Smitli,  Editorial 
Assistant 


'  Kngftged  in  Soils  Extension  as  well  as  in   Soil  Kxperiment  Field*. 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 

It  is  a  matter  of  common  observation  that  soils  vary  tremendously  in  their 
productive  power,  dcpcndinc^  upon  their  physical  condition,  their  chemical  com- 
position, and  their  biological  activities.  For  any  comprehensive  plan  of  soil 
improvement  looking  toward  the  permanent  maintenance  of  our  agricultural 
lands,  a  definite  knowledge  of  the  various  existing  kinds  or  types  of  soil  is  a 
first  essential.  It  is  the  i)urpose  of  a  soil  survey  to  cla.ssify  the  various  kinds  of 
soil  of  a  given  area  in  sucli  a  manner  as  to  permit  definite  characterization  for 
description  and  for  mapping.  With  the  information  that  such  a  survey  affords, 
every  farmer  or  landowner  of  the  surveyed  area  has  at  hand  the  basis  for  a 
rational  system  of  improvement  of  his  land.  At  the  same  time  the  Experiment 
Station  is  furnished  an  inventory  of  the  soils  of  the  state,  upon  which  intelli- 
gently to  base  plans  for  those  fundamental  investigations  so  necessary  for  solving 
the  problems  of  practical  soil  improvement. 

This  county  soil  report  is  one  of  a  series  reporting  the  results  of  the  soil 
survey  which,  when  completed,  will  cover  the  state  of  Illinois.  Each  county 
report  is  intended  to  be  as  nearly  complete  in  itself  as  it  is  practicable  to  make 
it,  even  at  the  expense  of  some  repetition.  There  is  presented  in  the  form  of  an 
Appendix  a  general  discussion  of  the  important  principles  of  soil  fertility,  in 
order  to  help  the  farmer  and  landowner  to  understand  the  significance  of  the 
data  furnished  by  the  soil  survey  and  to  make  intelligent  application  of  the 
same  in  the  maintenance  and  improvement  of  the  land.  In  many  cases  it  will 
be  of  advantage  to  study  the  Appendix  in  advance  of  the  soil  report  proper. 

Data  from  experiment  fields  representing  the  more  extensive  types  of  soil, 
and  furnishing  valuable  information  regarding  effective  practices  in  soil  manage- 
ment, are  embodied  in  the  form  of  a  Supplement.  This  Supplement  should  be 
referred  to  in  connection  with  the  descriptions  of  the  respective  soil  types  found 
in  the  body  of  the  report. 

Wliile  the  authors  must  assume  the  responsibility  for  the  presentation  of 
this  report,  it  should  be  understood  that  the  material  for  the  report  represents 
the  contribution  of  a  considerable  number  of  tlie  present  and  former  members 
of  the  Agronomy  Department  working  in  their  respective  lines  of  soil  mapping, 
soil  analysis,  and  experiment  field  investigation.  In  this  connection  special 
recognition  is  due  the  late  Professor  J.  G.  Hosier,  under  whose  direction  the  soil 
survey  of  Ogle  county  was  conducted,  and  Mr.  K.  W.  Dickenson  who,  as  leader 
of  the  field  party,  was  in  direct  charge  of  tlie  mapping. 


UWIVl.      :      jt  ILLINO 
AT  UR8ANA-CHAMPA1G 


CONTENTS  OF  SOIL  REPORT  No.  38 

OGLE  COUNTY  SOILS 

PAGE 
LOCATION  AND  CLIMATE  OF  OGLE  COUNTY 1 

AGRICULTURAL   PRODUCTION 1 

SOIL   FORMATION   2 

Geological   Aspects   2 

Changes  in  the  River  Systems 3 

Physiography  and  Drainage 4 

Soil  Development 4 

Soil  Groups 4 

INVOICE  OF  THE  ELEMENTS  OF  PLANT  FOOD  IN  OGLE  COUNTY  SOILS 6 

The  Upper  Sampling  Stratum 7 

The  Middle  and  Lower  Sampling  Strata 10 

DESCRIPTION  OF  SOIL  TYPES 15 

(a)  Upland  Prairie  Soils 15 

(b)  Upland  Timber  Soils 18 

(c)  Terrace  Soils   22 

(d)  Residual   Soils   26 

(e)  Late  Swamp  and  Bottom-Land  Soils 27 

APPENDIX 

EXPLANATIONS   FOR  INTERPRETING  THE    SOIL   SURVEY 29 

Classification  of  Soils 29 

Soil  Survey  Methods 31 

PRINCIPLES   OF   SOIL    FERTILITY    32 

Crop  Requirements  with  Respect  to  Plant-Food  Materials '. 33 

Plant-Food  Supply , 34 

Liberation  of  Plant  Food 35 

Permanent  Soil  Improvement 36 

SUPPLEMENT 

EXPERIMENT  FIELD  DATA  46 

The  Mt.  Morris  Field 47 

The  Dixon  Field 54 

The  Vienna  Field 55 

The  Oquawka  Field   57 

The  Manito  Field  59 


OGLE  COUNTY  SOILS 

By  R.  S.  smith,  O.  I.  PILLIS,  E.  E.  DeTURK,   F.  C.  BAUER,  and  L.  H.  SMITH' 

LOCATION  AND  CLIMATE  OF  OGLE  COUNTY 

Ogle  county  is  situated  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Illinois,  about  24  miles 
south  of  the  Wisconsin  state  line.  It  comprizes  about  754  square  miles  and  is 
traversed  almost  centrally  from  northeast  to  southwest  by  Rock  river.  Most  of 
the  county  is  tillable  with  the  exception  of  the  rough  and  broken  land  along  Rock 
river.  Approximately  21/2  percent  of  the  area  of  the  county  is  so  rough  and 
broken  that  it  should  be  left  permanently  in  timber. 

The  weather  data  collected  at  Dixon,  Lee  county,  for  the  fourteen-year  period 
from  1911  to  1924  are  used  to  indicate  the  climatic  conditions  of  this  region.  The 
greatest  range  in  temperature  for  any  one  year  was  122  degrees,  in  1919.  The 
highest  temperature  recorded  was  104°,  in  1921 ;  the  lowest,  24°  below  zero,  in 
1919.  The  average  date  of  the  last  killing  frost  in  spring  for  this  period  was 
May  5 ;  the  earliest  in  autumn,  October  16.  The  average  length  of  the  growing 
season  is  therefore  about  164  days. 

The  average  annual  rainfall  for  this  period  was  32.28  inches.  The  rainfall 
by  months  was  as  follows :  January,  1.17  inches ;  February,  1.33 ;  March,  2.79 ; 
April,  2.70 ;  May,  3.50 ;  June,  3.82 ;  July,  3.29  ;  August,  3.57  ;  September,  3,83 ; 
October,  3.01 ;  November,  1.69 ;  December,  1.55. 

AGRICULTURAL  PRODUCTION 

Ogle  county  is  regarded  as  distinctly  agricultural,  with  about  95  percent 
of  the  land  tillable.  The  Census  of  1920  reports  2,784  farms  in  the  county,  as 
compared  with  2,962  in  1910  and  3,093  in  1900. 

The  agriculture  of  the  county  includes  grain  farming,  dairying,  and  live- 
stock farming.  It  may  be  classed  as  general  farming,  with  great  emphasis  placed 
on  dairying  and  livestock,  including  the  production  of  beef  cattle,  hogs,  and, 
to  less  extent,  sheep.  It  will  be  noted  in  the  following  tables  that  the  total  value 
of  all  livestock,  for  1919,  as  reported  in  the  Fourteenth  Census,  was  about  8 
million  dollars,  and  that  the  total  value  of  all  crops  for  this  same  year  was  131/^ 
million  dollars.  It  is  interesting  to  note  in  this  connection  that  very  little  grain 
is  shipped  out  of  the  county,  most  of  it  being  used  for  feeding  either  on  the  farm 
where  it  is  grown  or  on  neighboring  farms.  Dairying  is  the  predominant  type 
of  farming  on  the  rolling  and  broken  land  adjacent  to  Rock  river. 

The  following  figures  taken  from  the  Fourteenth  Census  indicate  the  rela- 
tive importance  of  the  various  kinds  of  livestock  for  1920,  and  of  livestock 
products  for  1919 : 


*  B.  S.  Smith,  in  charge  of  soil  survey  mapping;  O.  I.  Ellis,  Assistant  Chief  in  soil  survey 
mapping ;  E.  E.  DeTurk,  in  charge  of  soil  analysis ;  F.  C.  Bauer,  in  charge  of  experiment  fields ; 
L.  H.  Smith,  in  charge  of  publications. 


2  Soil  Report  No.  38 

Ammals  and  Animal  Products                  Number  Value 

Horses 19,205  $1,723,621 

Mules 423  47,912 

Beef  cattle 39,656  2,362,449 

Dairy  cattle -. .     23,898  1,772,073 

Sheep 8,423  124,367 

Swine 70,533  1,705,248 

Poultry 325,240  338,140 

Eggs  and  chickens 742,495 

Dairy  products 1,196,735 

Wool 51,165  lbs.  28,037 

The  report  gives  the  total  value  of  livestock  as  about  1%  million  dollars. 

The  principal  field  crops  are  corn,  oats,  wheat,  barley,  hay,  and  clover. 
According  to  the  Census,  the  total  value  for  all  crops  in  1919  was  $13,585,000. 
The  following  figures  give  the  acreage  and  yield  of  some  of  the  more  important 
crops  for  the  year  1919 : 

Crops                                Acreage  Production  Yield  per  acre 

Corn 107,799  4.298,629  bu.  39.8  bu. 

Oats 91,478  3,016,268  bu.  32.8  bu. 

Wheat 26,461  433,121  bu.  16.3  bu. 

Barley 11,854  293,959  bu.  24.7  bu. 

Rye 4,608  67,455  bu.  15.0  bu. 

Timothy 10,290  12,425  tons  1.20  tons 

Timothy  and  clover 31,428  44,299  tons  1.09  tons 

Clover 6,271  9,723  tons  1.55  tons 

Silage  crops 10,101  76,514  tons  7.56  tons 

Corn  for  forage 12,387  31,361  tons  2.53  tons 

Figures  furnished  by  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture  give  the  follow- 
ing acre-yields  for  the  ten-year  period  1911-1920 :  corn,  36.2  bushels ;  oats,  36.5 
bushels;   tame  hay,  1.41  tons;   winter  wheat,  17.5  bushels. 

The  fruit  industry  is  not  developed  in  Ogle  county.  Very  little  fruit  is 
grown  aside  from  small  plantings  for  home  use. 

SOIL  FORMATION 

GEOLOGICAL  ASPECTS 

One  of  the  most  important  periods  in  the  geological  history  of  the  county, 
from  the  standpoint  of  soil  formation,  was  the  Glacial  period,  during  which  and 
immediately  following,  the  material  that  later  formed  the  mineral  portion  of  the 
soils  was  being  deposited.  During  the  Glacial  period,  great  ice  sheets  moved 
southward  from  the  centers  of  accumulation  in  Labrador,  in  the  Hudson  Bay 
region,  and  in  the  northern  Rocky  mountains.  At  least  six  great  ice  movements 
took  place,  each  of  which  covered  a  part  of  northern  United  States,  altho  the  same 
parts  were  not  covered  during  each  advance. 

The  glaciations  of  northwestern  Illinois,  including  the  area  occupied  by 
Ogle  county,  have  been  a  matter  of  uncertainty  ever  since  the  first  classification 
of  the  drift  sheets  of  this  region.  As  explained  on  page  30,  the  system  of  number- 
ing the  soil  types  is  based  largely  upon  the  glaciations  as  outlined  on  the  glacial 
map  prepared  many  years  ago  by  Leverett.  This  map  shows  Ogle  county  as 
being  covered  mainly  by  the  lowan  and  Pre-Iowan  glaciations  but  in  the  light  of 
more  recent  evidence,  the  most  of  the  county  is  now  considered  as  belonging  to 


Ogle  County  3 

the  lUinoisan.  It  may  be  said,  however,  that  so  far  as  the  identity  of  the  soil 
types  are  concerned,  the  matter  is  not  important.  The  eastern  end  of  tlie  county 
was  probably  invaded  by  a  lobe  of  the  early  Wisconsin  glaciation  and  the  south- 
eastern corner  of  the  county  is  occupied  by  Wisconsin  moraines. 

The  drift  averages  about  4  feet  in  depth  on  the  upland,  ranges  from  150  to 
400  feet  deep  in  the  preglacial  valleys,  and  is  about  100  feet  deep  on  the  Wis- 
consin moraine  in  the  southeastern  corner  of  the  county.  The  loess  or  loess-like 
silt  which  constitutes  the  surface  material  varies  from  about  20  inches  in  depth 
in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county  to  6  or  7  feet  in  depth  in  the  western  part.  The 
shallow  blanket  of  loess  and  drift  explains  the  frequent  occurrence  of  rock  out- 
crop and  stony  soil  along  Rock  i-iver  and  its  tributaries,  where  the  rolling  topog- 
raphy has  allowed  the  removal  of  the  soil  material  by  erosion. 

CHANGES  IN  THE  RIVER  SYSTEMS 

The  drainage  system  of  Ogle  county  has  a  complicated  history.  The  pre- 
glacial Rock  river  flowed  south  from  its  present  junction  point  with  Kishwaukee 
river  thru  the  eastern  end  of  Ogle  county.  It  cut  a  valley  3  to  5  miles  wide 
thru  most  of  its  course  and  its  depth  below  the  present  surface  averages  about 
400  feet.  The  minor  streams  also  have  changed  their  courses  and  in  some 
instances  reversed  their  direction  of  flow.  The  gravel  and  sand  ridges,  known  as 
eskers,  also  indicate  major  changes  in  the  drainage  channels  of  the  county. 
Three  of  these  eskers  occur  in  Ogle  county,  known  as  the  Adeline,  Hazelhurst, 
and  Stillman  eskers. 


R7E 


i 


lOWAN  GLACIATION 


PRE-IOWAN   GLACIATION 


EARLY  WISCONSIN   MORAINES 


^n>n\>^    terrace  and  SWAMP 


Fig.  1 — Drainage  Map  op  Ogle  County  Showing  Stream  Courses,  Terraces  and 

Swamp  Lands,  and  Glaciations 

(Glaciations  based  on  Leverett  map) 


4  Soil  Report  No.  38 

PHYSIOGRAPHY  AND  DRAINAGE 

The  topography  of  Ogle  county  varies  from  flat  to  rolling,  with  rough  and 
broken  areas  along  Rock  river  and  the  others  streams  of  the  county.  The  flat 
topography  is  found  in  the  terraces,  while  the  undulating  to  rolling  prevails  in 
the  upland  prairie. 

Rock  river  is  the  main  drainage  channel  of  the  county  and  most  of  the  minor 
streams  flow  into  this  river  within  the  boundaries  of  the  county.  The  accom- 
panying drainage  map  shows  the  drainage  of  the  county  in  detail. 

The  altitude  of  Ogle  county  varies  from  about  700  to  931  feet.  The  follow- 
ing figures  give  the  altitudes  for  a  f eAv  points  in  the  county :  Creston,  903  feet ; 
Rochelle,  795;  Oregon,  702;  Forreston,  931;  Byron,  726.  The  altitude  of 
Bloomington  moraine  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  county  varies  from  about 
850  to  910  feet. 

SOIL  DEVELOPMENT 

During  the  time  which  has  elapsed  since  the  last  ice  invasion,  weathering 
and  other  processes  have  been  active,  resulting  in  the  formation  of  the  soils  of  the 
county  as  we  know  them  today.  When  first  deposited  the  general  composition 
of  any  soil  material,  particularly  loess,  is  rather  uniform  but  with  the  passing 
of  time  various  physical,  chemical,  and  biological  agencies  of  weathering  form 
soil  out  of  the  parent  material  by  some  or  all  of  the  following  processes :  the  leach- 
ing of  certain  elements,  the  accumulation  of  others;  the  chemical  reduction  of 
certain  compounds,  the  oxidation  of  others;  the  translocation  of  the  finer  soil 
particles,  and  the  arrangement  of  them  into  zones,  or  "horizons";  the  accumu- 
lation of  organic  matter  from  the  growth  and  decay  of  vegetable  material.  One 
of  the  very  pronounced  characteristics  observed  in  most  soils  is  that  they  are 
composed  of  more  or  less  distinct  strata,  called  horizons.  As  explained  somewhat 
more  fully  in  the  Appendix,  these  horizons  are  named,  from  the  surface  down: 
A,  the  layer  of  extraction ;  B,  the  layer  of  concentration  or  accumulation ;  and 
C,  less-altered  material,  or  the  layer  in  which  weathering  has  had  less  effect.  The 
development  of  horizons  in  a  soil  is  an  indication  of  its  age. 

Since  the  upland  prairie  of  this  region  has  been  occupied,  probably  con- 
tinuously, by  grass  vegetation,  relatively  large  amounts  of  organic  matter  have 
accumulated,  resulting  in  the  formation  of  productive  dark-colored  soils.  The 
areas  adjacent  to  streams,  which  have  been  occupied  by  timber,  are  light-colored 
because  of  the  relative  deficiency  of  the  surface  soil  in  organic  matter.  The 
bottom-land  soils  are  made  up,  for  the  most  part,  of  alluvial  material  brought 
down  from  the  uplands  and  deposited  by  the  streams.  These  soils  are  to  be  re- 
garded as  relatively  young  or  immature  and  therefore  have  not  developed  horizons 
as  have  the  mature  soils  of  the  upland. 

SOIL  GROUPS 

The  soils  of  Ogle  county  are  divided  into  five  groups,  as  follows: 

(a)  Upland  Prairie  Soils,  or  dark-colored  soils,  usually  rich  in  organic 
matter. 


Ogle  County 


(b)  Upland  Timber  Soils,  or  light-colored  upland  soils,  usually  relatively 
poor  in  organic  matter. 

(c)  Terrace  Soils,  including  bench  lands  and  second  bottoms,  formed  by  de- 
posits from  flooded  streams  overloaded  with  sediment. 

(d)  Swamp  and  Bottom  Lands,  including  flood  plains  along  streams  and 
some  poorly  drained  muck  and  peat  areas. 

(e)  Residual  Soils,  including  Rock  Outcrop  and  Stony  Loam  areas  and  soils 
formed  in  place  thru  weathering  of  rocks. 

Table  1  gives  the  area  of  each  soil  type  in  Ogle  county  and  its  percentage  of 
the  total  area.  It  will  be  observed  that  57.42  percent  of  the  county  consists  of 
upland  prairie,  20.50  percent  of  upland  timber,  11.89  percent  of  terrace  soils, 
8.56  percent  of  swamp  and  bottom-land  soils,  and  .95  percent  of  residual  soils. 

The  accompanying  map,  appearing  in  three  sections,  shows  the  location  and 
boundry  lines  of  the  various  types. 

For  explanation  concerning  the  classification  of  soils  and  interpretation  of 
the  maps  and  tables,  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  first  part  of  the  Appendix  to 
■  this  report. 

Table  1. — Soil  Types  of  Ogle  County,  Illinois 


Soil 
type 
No. 


Name  of  type 


Area  in 

square 

miles 


Area 

in 
acres 


Percent 

of  total 

area 


(a)    Upland  Prairie  Soils  (600,  700,  900) 

6261 
7261- 

Brown  Silt  Loam 

384.24 

1.38 

42.21 

1.64 

.10 

.04 

2.11 

1.58 

245  914 

883 

27  014 

1  050 

64 

25 

1  350 

1  Oil 

50.91 

926J 
626.51 
726.5/ 
760 

Brown  Silt  Loam  On  Limestone 

.18 

Brown  Sandy  Loam 

5.59 

660.5 
760.5 

Brown  Sandy  Loam  On  Limestone 

Brown  Sandy  Loam  On  Sandstone 

.22 
.02 

6281 
728/ 
781 

Brown-Gray  Silt  Loam  On  Tight  Clay 

Dune  Sand ". 

.01 

.28 

6901 
790/ 

Gravelly  Loam 

.21 

433.30 

277  311 

57.42 

(b)   Upland  Timber  Soils  (600,  700,  900) 


6341 

734^ 

9341 

635\ 

735/ 

634.5 

734.5 

635.5 

735.5/ 

6641 

764/ 

665  \ 

765/ 

664.5 

764.5 


Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam 

Yellow  Silt  Loam 

Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam  On  Limestone .  .  .  . 

Yellow  Silt  Loam  On  Limestone 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam 

Yellow  Sandy  Loam 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  On  Limestone .  . 
Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  On  Sandstone .  . 


118.46 


154.76 


75  814 


17.39 

11   130 

.81 

518 

.89 

570 

14.77 

9  453 

1.72 

1   101 

.09 
.63 

58 
403 

99  047 


15.70 

2.30 
.11 
.12 

1.95 

.22 

.02 
.08 

20.50 


Soil  Report  No.  38 


Table  1.— Soil  Types  of  Ogle  County,  Illinois — Concluded 


Soil 
type 
No. 


Name  of  type 


Percent 

of  total 

area 


(c)   Terrace  Soils  (1500) 

1527 

Brown  Silt  Loam  Over  Gravel 

51.70 

16. n 

7.32 

1.81 

.25 
8.69 
2.19 

.46 
1.07 

.05 

.05 

33  088 
10  310 

4  685 
1  158 

160 

5  562 
1  402 

294 

685 

32 

32 

6.85 

1525 

Black  Silt  Loam 

2.13 

1566 

1560.4 

1561 

Brown  Sandy  Loam  Over  Gravel 

Brown  Sandy  Loam  On  Gravel 

Black  Sandy  Loam 

.97 
.24 
.04 

1536 
1567 
1564.4 
1581 

Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam  Over  Gravel 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  Over  Gravel .... 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  On  Gravel 

Dune  Sand 

1.15 
.29 
.06 
.14 

1528 
1568 

Brown-Gray  Silt  Loam  On  Tight  Clay 

Brown-Gray  Sandy  Loam  On  Tight  Clay  .  . 

.01 
.01 

89.70 

57  408 

11.89 

(d)  Residual  Soils  (000) 


083 

Sand 

2.92 

3.62 

.36 

.31 

.08 

1  869 

2  317 
230 
198 

51 

.38 

098 
098 
099 
099 

Stony  Loam — Limestone 

Stony  Loam— Sandstone 

Limestone  Outcrop 

Sandstone  Outcrop 

.47 
.05 
.04 
.01 

7.29 

4  665 

.95 

(e)   Late  Swamp  and  Bottom-L 

and  Soils  (1400) 

1450 

Black  Mixed  Loam 

21.06 

43.08 

.38 

13  479 

27  571 

243 

2.80 

1454 

Mixed  Loam 

5.71 

1401 

Deep  Peat 

.05 

64.52 

41  293 

8.56 

(f)   Miscellaneous 


Water 

Gravel  Pit 

4.82 
.18 
.07 

3  085 

115 

45 

.64 
.03 

Rock  Quarry 

.01 

5.07 

3  245 

.68 

Total 

754.64 

482  969 

100.00 

INVOICE  OF  THE  ELEMENTS  OF  PLANT  FOOD 
IN  OGLE  COUNTY  SOILS 

In  order  to  obtain  a  knowledge  of  its  chemical  composition,  each  soil  type 
is  sampled  in  the  manner  described  below  and  subjected  to  chemical  analysis  for 
its  important  plant-food  elements.  For  this  purpose  samples  are  taken  usually 
in  sets  of  three  to  represent  different  strata  in  the  top  40  inches  of  soil ;  namely, 
an  upper  stratum  (0  to  673  inches),  a  middle  stratum  (6%  to  20  inches),  and 
a  lower  stratum  (20  to  40  inches).  These  sampling  strata  correspond  approxi- 
mately in  the  common  kinds  of  soil  to  2  million  pounds  per  acre  of  dry  soil  in 
the  upper  stratum,  and  to  two  times  and  three  times  this  quantity  in  the  middle 
and  lower  strata,  respectively.    This,  of  course,  is  a  purely  arbitrary  division  of 


Ogle  County  7 

the  soil  section,  very  useful  in  arriving  at  a  knowledge  of  the  quantity  and  dis- 
tribution of  the  elements  of  plant  food  in  the  soil,  but  it  should  be  borne  in  mind 
that  these  strata  seldom  coincide  with  the  natural  strata  as  they  actually  exist 
in  the  soil  and  which  are  referred  to  in  describing  the  soil  types  as  horizons  A,  B, 
and  C.  By  this  system  of  sampling  we  have  represented  separately  three  zones 
for  plant  feeding.  The  upper,  or  surface  layer,  includes  at  least  as  much  soil  as 
is  ordinarily  turned  with  the  plow,  and  this  is  the  part  with  which  the  farm 
manure,  limestone,  phosphate,  or  other  fertilizing  materials  are  incorporated. 

The  chemical  analysis  of  a  soil,  obtained  by  the  methods  here  employed, 
gives  the  invoice  of  the  total  stock  of  the  several  plant-food  materials  actually 
present  in  the  soil  strata  sampled  and  analyzed.  It  should  be  understood,  how- 
ever, that  the  rate  of  liberation  from  their  insoluble  forms,  a  matter  of  at  least 
equal  importance,  is  governed  by  many  factors,  and  is  therefore  not  necessarily 
proportional  to  the  total  amount!^  present. 

For  convenience  in  making  application  of  the  chemical  analyses,  the  results 
as  presented  here  have  been  translated  from  the  percentage  basis  and  are  given 
in  the  accompanying  tables  in  terms  of  pounds  per  acre.  In  doing  this  the 
assumption  is  made  that  for  ordinary  types  a  stratum  of  dry  soil  of  the  area  of 
an  acre  and  6%  inches  thick  weighs  2  million  pounds.  It  is  understood,  of  course, 
that  this  value  is  only  an  approximation,  but  it  is  believed  that  with  this  under- 
standing it  will  suffice  for  the  purpose  intended.  It  is,  of  course,  a  simple  matter 
to  convert  these  figures  back  to  the  percentage  basis  in  case  one  desires  to  consider 
the  information  in  that  form. 

With  respect  to  the  presence  of  limestone  and  acidity  in  different  strata,  no 
attempt  is  made  to  include  in  the  tabulated  results  figures  purporting  to  repre- 
sent their  averages  for  the  respective  types,  because  of  the  extreme  variations 
frequently  found  within  a  given  soil  type.  In  examining  each  soil  type  in  the 
field,  however,  numerous  qualitative  tests  are  made  which  furnish  general  in- 
formation regarding  the  soil  reaction,  and  in  the  discussions  of  the  individual 
soil  types  which  follow,  recommendations  based  upon  these  tests  are  given  con- 
cerning the  lime  requirement  of  the  respective  types.  Such  recommendations 
cannot  be  made  specific  in  all  cases  because  local  variations  exist,  and  because 
the  lime  requirement  may  change  from  time  to  time,  especially  under  cropping 
and  soil  treatment.  It  is  often  desirable,  therefore,  to  determine  the  lime  require- 
ment for  a  given  field  and  in  this  connection  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  section 
in  the  Appendix  dealing  with  the  application  of  limestone  (page  36). 

THE  UPPER  SAMPLING  STRATUM 

In  Table  2  are  reported  the  amounts  of  organic  carbon,  nitrogen,  phosphorus, 
sulfur,  potassium,  magnesium,  and  calcium  in  2  million  pounds  of  the  surface 
soil  of  each  type  in  Ogle  county. 

In  connection  with  this  table  attention  is  called  to  the  variation  among  the 
soil  types  with  respect  to  their  content  of  the  different  plant-food  elements.  It 
will  be  seen  from  the  analyses  that  a  variation  in  the  organic-carbon  content  of  the 
different  soils  is  accompanied  by  a  parallel  variation  in  the  nitrogen  content. 
The  organic-carbon  content,  which  serves  as   a  measure  of  the  total  organic 


8  Soil  Report  No.  38 

matter  present,  is  usually  10  to  12  times  that  of  the  total  nitrogen.  This  re- 
lationship is  explained  by  the  well-established  facts  that  all  soil  organic  matter 
contains  nitrogen,  and  that  most  of  the  soil  nitrogen  (usually  98  percent  or  more) 
is  present  in  a  state  of  organic  combination.  This  close  relationship  is  also  main- 
tained in  the  middle  and  lower  sampling  strata. 

The  range  in  content  of  organic  matter  and  nitrogen  is  very  wide.  The 
upland  prairie  soils  are,  for  the  most  part,  relatively  high  in  these  constituents. 
The  upland  timber  soils  are  generally  fairly  low,  with  essentially  no  overlapping 
of  organic  matter  in  the  two  groups  of  soil  types.  The  upland  timber  soils  range 
from  19,660  pounds  of  organic  carbon  an  acre  in  Yellow  Silt  Loam  up  to  30,410 
pounds  in  Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam,  with  an  average  of  24,460  pounds.  The  upland 
prairie  soils,  ranging  from  30,500  to  49,380  pounds,  average  41,330  pounds.  One 
type,  Dune  Sand,  is  omitted  from  the  average  for  upland  prairie  soils  as  given 
above,  for,  as  is  usually  the  case  with  very  sandy  soils,  it  is  very  deficient  in 
organic  matter  and  nitrogen,  the  organic  carbon  amounting  to  only  15,640  pounds 
an  acre  in  the  surface  stratum. 

"While  most  soils  should  receive  regular  additions  of  organic  materials  in  the 
form  of  green  or  animal  manures  and  crop  residues,  in  order  to  maintain  an 
adequate  supply  of  organic  matter  in  actively  decomposing  condition,  the  fre- 
quent use  of  such  materials  is  particularly  necessary  in  the  management  of 
Dune  Sand  and  similar  types.  The  porous,  open  character  of  these  soils  permits 
the  rapid  oxidation  of  organic  matter,  so  that  it  disappears  from  such  soil  much 
more  rapidly  than  from  the  heavier  types.  Dune  Sand  is,  in  fact,  but  little  more 
than  the  skeleton  of  a  soil  and  cannot  readily  be  brought  up  to,  and  maintained  in, 
a  state  of  productiveness  without  first  incorporating  active  organic  materials 
in  it,  and  continuing  with  frequent  subsequent  additions.  The  soil  is  usually 
acid  and  hence  limestone  and  legume  green  manures  constitute  the  first  and  most 
important  steps  in  converting  it  into  a  productive  soil.  Black  Silt  Loam  con- 
tains the  largest  amount  of  organic  carbon  of  any  soil  in  the  county,  except 
Deep  Peat,  which  is  made  up  largely  of  organic  matter.  The  organic  carbon  of 
Black  Silt  Loam  amounts  to  113,570  pounds  an  acre,  with  a  corresponding 
nitrogen  content  of  12,990  pounds.  While  such  soils  as  this  will  withstand  more 
abuse  by  the  practice  of  continuous  cropping  and  are  not  so  greatly  in  need  of 
additions  of  organic  materials  as  are  soils  containing  only  20,000  to  30,000  pounds 
of  organic  carbon,  yet  the  use  of  manure  and  the  systematic  growing  of  legumes 
for  pasture  and  for  plowing  down  serve  to  renew  the  active  organic  material  in 
the  soil  in  a  way  which  is  reflected  in  increases  of  crop  yields. 

Other  elements  are  not  so  closely  associated  with  each  other  as  organic 
matter  and  nitrogen.  There  is  some  degree  of  correlation,  however,  between 
sulfur,  another  element  used  by  growing  plants,  and  organic  carbon.  This  is 
because  a  considerable  tho  varying  proportion  of  the  sulfur  in  the  soil  exists  in 
the  organic  form,  that  is,  as  a  constituent  of  the  organic  matter.  Most  of  the 
Ogle  county  soils  are  fairly  well  supplied  with  sulfur.  It  ranges,  in  the  surface 
soil,  from  a  minimum  of  260  pounds  an  acre  in  Dune  Sand  up  to  3,550  pounds  in 
Deep  Peat.  Excluding  Deep  Peat,  the  sulfur  content  of  Ogle  county  soils  amounts 
to  one-half  to  two-thirds  that  of  phosphorus.     The  sulfur  available  for  crops  is 


Ogle  County  9 

affected  not  only  by  the  soil  supply,  but  also  by  that  brought  down  from  the 
atmosphere  by  rain.  Sulfur  dioxid  escapes  into  the  air  in  the  gaseous  products 
from  the  burning  of  all  kinds  of  fuel,  particularly  coal.  The  gaseous  sulfur 
dioxid  is  soluble  in  water  and  consequently  it  is  dissolved  out  of  the  air  by  rain 
and  brought  to  the  earth.  In  regions  of  large  coal  consumption  the  amount  of 
sulfur  thus  added  to  the  soil  is  relatively  large.  At  Urbana,  during  the  eight- 
year  period  from  1917  to  1924  there  was  added  to  the  soil  by  the  rainfall  3.5 
pounds  of  sulfur  an  acre  a  month  as  an  average.  Similar  observations  have  been 
made  in  other  localities  for  shorter  periods.  At  Spring  Valley,  in  Bureau  county, 
the  rainfall  during  six  summer  months  in  1921  brought  down  34.5  pounds  of 
sulfur  an  acre,  or  an  average  monthly  precipitation  of  5.75  pounds.  The  maxi- 
mum for  a  single  month  was  8.77  pounds,  in  June.  At  Toledo,  Cumberland 
county,  from  April  to  November  1922,  the  average  precipitation  was  3  pounds 
an  acre  a  month.  The  precipitation  at  the  various  points  in  the  state  in  a  single 
month  has  varied  from  a  minimum  of  .74  pound  to  10.22  pounds  an  acre.  These 
figures  afford  some  idea  of  the  amounts  of  sulfur  added  by  rain  and  also  of  the 
wide  variation  in  these  amounts  under  different  conditions.  On  the  whole,  these 
facts  would  indicate  that  the  sulfur  added  from  the  atmosphere  supplements 
that  contained  in  the  soil,  so  that  there  can  be  no  extensive  need  for  sulfur 
fertilizers  in  Ogle  county.  In  order  to  determine  definitely  the  response  of 
crops  to  applications  of  sulfur  fertilizers,  experiments  with  gypsum  have  been 
started  at  five  experimental  fields,  namely,  Raleigh,  Toledo,  Carthage,  Hartsburg, 
and  Dixon. 

With  regard  to  phosphorus,  the  upland  timber  soils  as  a  group  are  found 
to  be  relatively  low.  One  type,  Black  Silt  Loam,  is  outstanding  in  its  phosphorus 
content.  This  type  in  Ogle  county  is  found  in  the  terrace  area,  and  the  surface 
soil  contains  2,380  pounds  of  phosphorus  in  an  acre.  This  soil  type  not  only 
exhibits  an  unusually  high  phosphorus  content,  but  is  high  in  organic  matter, 
nitrogen,  calcium,  magnesium,  and  sulfur  as  well.  This  type,  however,  occupies 
only  16.11  square  miles,  or  2.13  percent  of  the  area  of  the  county. 

Potassium  is  deficient  in  Deep  Peat,  as  is  usually  the  case  with  this  soil  type, 
the  total  amount  in  the  upper  6%  inches  of  soil  being  only  4,290  pounds  an 
acre.  The  sandy  types  in  Ogle  county  are  for  the  most  part  only  slightly  lower 
in  potassium  content  than  is  the  case  with  soils  of  finer  texture.  The  Residual 
Sand  areas,  however,  are  particularly  poor,  not  only  in  potassium  but  in  all 
the  other  mineral  elements.  The  potassium  content  of  the  samples  obtained 
was  only  3,060  pounds  an  acre,  or  about  one-tenth  the  amount  ordinarily  found 
in  the  mineral  soils.  Sandy  soils  carry  a  considerable  proportion  of  their 
potassium  content  in  the  coarse  sand  grains.  The  relatively  small  total  surface 
exposed  in  the  case  of  the  coarse  particles  greatly  lowers  the  solubility  and  availa- 
bility of  the  potassium  in  sand  soils.  This  is  partly  offset,  however,  by  the 
greater  depth  of  the  feeding  zone  for  crop  roots  in  sandy  soils  as  compared  with 
the  heavier  types.    The  other  types  are  normal  in  content  of  potassium. 

The  variation  in  the  calcium  and  magnesium  content  in  the  soils  of  this 
county  is  wide.  Nearly  all  the  sand  and  sandy  loam  types  are  markedly  low 
in  both  calcium  and  magnesium,  containing,  generally,  less  than  4,000  pounds  of 


10  Soil  Report  No.  38 

magnesium  in  the  surface  6%  inches,  and  somewhat  larger  amounts  of  calcium. 
The  soils  of  finer  texture  are  fairly  well  supplied  with  both  of  these  elements. 

THE  MIDDLE  AND  LOWER   SAMPLING  STRATA 

In  Tables  3  and  4  are  recorded  the  amounts  of  the  plant-food  elements  in 
the  middle  and  lower  sampling  strata.  In  comparing  these  strata  with  the  upper 
stratum  or  with  each  other,  it  is  necessary  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  data  as  given 
for  the  middle  and  lower  sampling  strata  are  on  the  basis  of  4  million  and  6 
million  pounds  of  soil,  and  should  therefore  be  divided  by  two  and  three  respec- 
tively before  comparing  them  Avith  each  other  or  with  the  data  for  the  upper 
stratum,  which  is  on  a  basis  of  2  million  pounds. 

With  this  in  mind  it  will  be  noted  in  comparing  the  three  strata  with  each 
other  that  some  of  the  elements  exhibit  no  consistent  change  in  amount,  either 
upward  or  downward,  with  increasing  depth.  This  is  true  particularly  of  potas- 
sium. Others  exhibit  more  or  less  marked  variation  in  amount  at  the  different 
levels.  Furthermore,  these  variations  as  a  rule,  go  in  certain  general  directions, 
and  by  a  careful  study  of  them  it  is  frequently  possible  to  obtain  clues  as  to  the 
age  or  stage  of  maturity  of  the  various  soils  and  the  nature  of  the  processes 
going  on  in  soil  formation. 

With  the  exception  of  Deep  Peat  it  will  be  observed  that  all  the  soil  types 
diminish  rather  rapidly  in  organic  matter  and  nitrogen  with  increasing  depth, 
and  that  this  diminution  is  quite  noticeable  even  in  the  middle  stratum.  The 
sulfur  content  decreases  with  increasing  depth  in  nearly  all  cases.  This  is  to  be 
expected  since  a  portion  of  the  sulfur  exists  in  combination  with  the  soil  organic 
matter  which  is  more  abundant  in  the  upper  strata,  and  also  because  inorganic 
forms  of  sulfur  are  not  tenaciously  retained  by  the  soil  against  the  leaching  action 
of  ground  water.  Phosphorus,  on  the  other  hand,  is  not  removed  from  the  soil 
by  leaching.  It  is  converted  by  growing  plants  into  organic  forms  and  tends  to 
accumulate  in  the  surface  soil  in  these  forms  in  plant  residues  at  the  expense  of 
the  underlying  strata.  Evidently  it  is  the  second  stratum  (6%  to  20  inches) 
which  furnishes  most  of  the  phosphorus  thus  moved  upward.  Consequently,  in 
nearly  all  the  soil  types  in  Ogle  county  the  surface  soil  contains  a  larger  pro- 
portionate amount  of  phosphorus  than  the  middle  stratum,  and  in  the  majority  of 
cases  more  than  the  lower  stratum. 

Two  important  basic  elements,  calcium  and  magnesium,  have  undergone  some 
shifting  in  the  different  levels  as  exhibited  by  analyses  of  upland  types.  The 
content  of  calcium,  on  the  whole,  is  much  higher  than  that  of  magnesium  in  the 
surface  soil,  indicating  a  more  abundant  supply  of  calcium  in  the  soil-forming 
materials.  The  calcium  content  remains  the  same  or  diminishes  in  the  middle 
stratum  as  compared  with  the  upper.  This  is  accompanied  by  an  increase  in  the 
magnesium  content  in  both  the  middle  and  lower  strata.  These  two  elements 
are  unequally  removed  from  the  soil  by  leaching,  the  calcium  being  dissolved 
and  carried  downward  to  a  greater  extent  than  magnesium.  As  they  are  carried 
downward  in  solution,  magnesium  is  more  readily  reabsorbed  by  the  soil  mass 
than  calcium,  thus  forcing  more  of  the  latter  element  out  into  the  solution  to  be 
carried  farther  down.    Consequently,  while  magnesium  tends  to  accumulate  in 


Ogle  County 


11 


Table  2. — Plant-Food  Elements  in  the  Soils  of  Ogle  County,  Illinois 

Upper  Sampling  Stratum:  About  0  to  6%  Inches 

Average  pounds  per  acre  in  2  million  pounds  of  dry  soil 


Soil 
type 
No. 


Soil  type 


Total 

Total 

Total 

Total 

Total 

Total 

organic 

nitro- 

phos- 

sulfur 

potas- 

magne- 

carbon 

gen 

phorus 

sium 

sium 

Total 
calcium 


Upland  Prairie  Soils  (600, 

700,  900) 

6261 

726^ 

Brown  Silt  Loam 

49  210 

5  000 

1  120 

840 

33  060 

7  080 

9  830 

926J 

726.5 

Brown  Silt  Loam  On  Rock 

43  520 

5  100 

1  100 

860 

31  460 

9  080 

11  180 

760 

Brown  Sandy  Loam 

30  500 

2  580 

860 

600 

29  910 

3  690 

7  000 

760.5 

Brown  Sandy  Loam  On  Rock.  .  . 

34  030 

3  050 

1  010 

460 

32  230 

4  260 

5  310 

728 

Brown-Gray  Silt  Loam  On  Tight 

Clay 

49  380 

4  040 

660 

640 

23  400 

6  240 

10  880 

681 

Dune  Sand 

15  640 

1  220 

780 

260 

29  760 

1  620 

3  040 

690 

Gravelly  Loam' 

Upland  Timber  Soils  (600,  700) 


734 
735 
734.5 

635.5 
764 
765 
764.5 


Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam 

Yellow  Silt  Loam 

Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam  On  Lime 

stone 

Yellow  Silt  Loam  On  Limestone 
Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam .  .  . 

Y'ellow  Sandy  Loam 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  On 

Limestone 


30  410 
19  660 

3  120 

2  440 

860 
900 

490 
380 

32  650 
26  800 

6  560 
6  100 

23  600 
20  680 
29  050 
22  100 

2  480 
2  340 
2  260 
1  560 

620 
600 
680 
620 

920 
340 
450 
580 

31  780 
35  600 

29  880 
26  880 

6  460 
8  060 

3  850 

4  880 

25  690 

2  050 

730 

330 

25  760 

3  620 

10  230 

9  720 

10  160 

11  040 
6  950 
8  300 

6  390 


Terrace  Soils  (1500) 


1527 

1525 

1566 

1560.4 

1561 

1536 

1567 

1564.4 

1528 


Brown  Silt  Loam  Over  Gravel  . 

Black  Silt  Loam 

Brown  Sandy  Loam 

Brown  Sandy  Loam  On  Gravel 

Black  Sandy  Loam 

Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam  Over. . . 

Gravel 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  Over 

Gravel 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  On 

Gravel 

Brown-Gray  Silt  Loam  On  Tight 

Clay 


60  740 
113  570 
24  760 
20  180 
90  160 

5  770 
12  990 
1  600 
1  720 
8  000 

1  260 

2  380 
600 
700 

1  520 

890 

1  750 

340 

520 

1  220 

32  090 
27  220 
27  300 
27  000 
35  900 

4  550 
13  860 
2  200 
2  940 
9  060 

25  370 

2  610 

860 

590 

30  590 

4  130 

31  120 

2  620 

860 

760 

23  120 

3  520 

20  340 

1  620 

720 

420 

21  240 

2  560 

29  260 

2  120 

720 

660 

15  980 

2  460 

8  690 
54  630 

3  440 

4  780 
21  580 

7  610 

5  180 
5  160 
3  880 


Residual  Soils  (000) 

083 

Residual  Sand 

28  340 

1  680 

620 

520 

3  060 

1  620 

1  140 

098 

Stony  Loam^ 

Late  Swamp  and  Bottom-Land  Soils  (1400) 

1450 

Black  Mixed  Loam^     

1454 

Mixed  Loam^ 

1401 

Deep  Peat* 

287  460 

31  880 

1  740 

3  550 

4  290 

6  730 

25  280 

LIMESTONE  and  SOIL  ACIDITY.— In  connection  with  these  tabulated  data,  it  should 
be  explained  that  the  figures  for  limestone  content  and  soil  acidity  are  omitted  not  because  of 
any  lack  of  importance  of  these  factors,  but  rather  because  of  the  peculiar  difficulty  of  presenting 
in  the  form  of  numerical  averages  reliable  information  concerning  the  limestone  requirement  for 
a  given  soil  type.  A  general  statement,  however,  will  be  found  concerning  the  lime  requirement 
of  the  respective  soil  types  in  connection  with  the  discussions  which  follow. 

'Analyses  not  given  because  of  uncertainty  regarding  the  sample. 
^Representative  samples  could  not  be  taken  because  of  the  stony  character  of  the  soil. 
'On  account  of  the  heterogeneous  character  of  mixed  loams,  chemical  analyses  are  not  included 
for  these  types. 

^Amounts  reported  are  for  1  million  pounds  of  Deep  Peat. 


12 


Soil  Report  No.  38 


Table  3. — Plant-Food  Elements  in  the  Soils  of  Ogle  County,  Illinois 
Middle  Sampling  Stratum:  About  Q%  to  20  Inches 
Average  pounds  per  acre  in  4  million  pounds  of  dry  soil 


Soil 
type 
No. 


Soil  type 


Total 
organic 
carbon 

Total 
nitro- 
gen 

Total 
phos- 
phorus 

Total 
sulfur 


Total 
potasi- 


Total 
magne- 
sium 


Total 
calcium 


Upland  Prairie  Soils  (600,  700,  900) 


626 

726 

926J 

726.5 

760 

760.5 

728 

681 
690 


Brown  Silt  Loam. 


Brown  Silt  Loam  On  Rock 

Brown  Sandy  Loam 

Brown  Sandy  Loam  On  Rock.  .  . 
Brown-Gray  Silt  Loam  On  Tight 

Clay 

Dune  Sand 

Gravelly  Loam^ 


51  320 

56  920 
44  690 
50  900 

38  520 
26  480 


5  000 

5  720 
4  390 
4  300 

3  400 
1  640 


1  820 

2  000 
1  590 
1  960 

1  360 

2  120 


1  270 

1  040 
970 
900 

920 
240 


66  740 

63  200 

64  200 

64  660 

49  760 

65  480 


17  670 

20  120 
8  550 
7  620 

15  920 
2  320 


20  800 

25  960 
15  190 
10  900 

19  760 
5  560 


Upland  Timber  Soils  (600,  700) 


734 
735 

734.5 

635.5 
764 
765 
764.5 


Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam 

Yellow  Silt  Loam 

Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam  On 

Limestone 

Yellow  Silt  Loam  On  Limestone 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam 

Yellow  Sandy  Loam 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  On 

Limestone 


26  800 
20  840 

2  910 
1  920 

1  670 
1  800 

690 
800 

65  680 
59  000 

14  760 
10  000 

26  840 
29  600 
25  960 
25  400 

2  280 
2  760 

2  050 

3  600 

1  320 
1  400 
1  110 
1  560 

1  200 
600 
520 
960 

58  520 
68  320 
55  570 
54  120 

16  760 
75  960 
10  660 
14  200 

30  480 

2  440 

1  520 

600 

48  720 

9  080 

20  310 
20  200 

18  520 

198  360 

13  370 

13  840 

13  400 


Terrace  Soils  (1500) 


1527 

1525 

1566 

1560.4 

1561 

1536 

1567 

1564.4 

1528 


Brown  Silt  Loam  Over  Gravel 

Black  Silt  Loam 

Brown  Sandy  Loam 

Brown  Sandy  Loam  On  Gravel 

Black  Sandy  Loam 

Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam  Over 

Gravel 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  Over 

Gravel 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  On 

Gravel 

Brown-Gray  Silt  Loam  On  Tight 

Clay 


65  310 

91  400 
40  040 
29  080 

92  720 

5  750 
9  200 
3  080 
2  400 
7  800 

1  830 
3  280 
1  360 

1  320 

2  400 

1  090 

1  820 

720 

680 

1  320 

66  080 
55  880 
53  880 
52  600 
64  960 

13  750 

17  180 

3  800 

7  520 

19  800 

24  640 

2  320 

1  460 

980 

64  720 

13  920 

29  440 

2  200 

1  520 

1  080 

44  800 

10  680 

23  200 

2  160 

1  560 

600 

53  320 

6  800 

24  360 

1  680 

1  000 

880 

31  080 

6  360 

16  150 
62  520 
7  920 
10  000 
37  720 

15  800 

10  000 

9  560 

7  560 


Residual  Soils  (000) 

083 

Residual  Sand      

34  440 

2  000 

1  040 

840 

5  600 

2  360 

3  280 

098 

Stony  Loam* 

Late  Swamp  and  Bottom-Land  Soils  (1400) 

1450 

Black  Mixed  Loam^ 

1454 

Mixed  Loam^ 

1401 

Deep  Peat' 

572  466 

54  980 

1  760 

2  200 

10  380 

8  120 

40  620 

LIMESTONE  and  SOIL  ACIDITY.— See  note  in  Table  2. 

'Representative  samples  could  not  be  taken  because  of  the  stony  character  of  the  soil. 
^On  account  of  the  heterogeneous  character  of  the  mixed  loams,  chemical  analyses  are  not 
reported  for  these  types. 

'Amounts  reported  are  for  2  million  pounds  of  Deep  Peat. 

the  middle  and  lower  strata,  the  liberated  calcium,  which  is  thus  carried  farther 
down  than  magnesium  may  accumulate  at  still  great  depths,  or  may  be  washed 
away  entirely.  These  movements  of  calcium  and  magnesium,  as  indicated  by 
the  analyses  of  the  different  strata,  constitute  one  factor  in  estimating  the  rela- 
tive maturity  of  the  various  soil  types. 


Ogle  County 


13 


Table  4. — Plant-Food  Elements  in  the  Soils  of  Ogle  County,  Illinois 

Lower  Sampling  Stratum:  About  20  to  40  Inches 

Average  pounds  per  acre  in  6  million  pounds  of  dry  soil 


Soil 
type 
No. 


Soil  type 


Total 
organic 
carbon 


Total 
nitro- 
gen 


Total 
phos- 
phorus 


Total 
sulfur 


Total 

potasi- 

sium 


Total 
magne- 


Total 
calcium 


Upland  Prairie  Soils  (600,  700,  900) 


6261 
726  [ 
926J 
726.5 

Brown  Silt.  Loam 

35  380 

3  880 

2  930 

1  310 

97  780 

38  220 

48  630 

Brown  Silt  Loam  On  Rock' 

760 
760.5 

Brown  Sandy  Loam 

Brown  Sandy  Loam  On  Rock' 

35  840 

3  940 

2  260 

960 

94  960 

48  020 

84  200 

728 

Brown-Gray  Silt  Loam  On  Tight 
Clay . 

33  840 
28  740 

3  000 

780 

3  000 
1  800 

540 
780 

74  460 
95  220 

35  880 
5  520 

41  880 

681 

Dune  Sand       

9  540 

690 

Gravelly  Loam' 

Upland  Timber  Soils  (600,  700) 

734 
735 

Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam 

Yellow  Silt  Loam 

29  400 
25  020 

30  540 

3  090 
2  220 

2  820 

3  270 
3  360 

2  640 

980 
1   140 

1  320 

96  200 
89  820 

88  740 

30  260 
33  780 

9  780 

47  430 
34  920 

734.5 

Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam  On 
Limestone 

55  320 

635.5 

Yellow  Silt  Loam  On  Limestone' 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam 

Yellow  Sandy  Loam 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  On 
Limestone' 

764 
765 
764.5 

27  080 
31  320 

2  100 

3  240 

2  200 

3  960 

880 
1  020 

89  220 
75  420 

20  620 
58  140 

25  740 
94  380 

Terrace  Soils  (1500) 


1527 

1525 

1566 

1560.4 

1561 

1536 

1567 

1564.4 

1528 


Brown  Silt  Loam  Over  Gravel 

Black  Silt  Loam 

Brown  Sandy  Loam 

Brown  Sandy  Loam  On  Gravel 

Black  Sandy  Loam 

Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam  Over 

Gravel 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  Over 

Gravel 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  On 

Gravel 

Brown-Gray  Silt  Loam  On  Tight 

Clay 


35  540 
37  320 
27  960 

22  020 

23  810 

3  260 
3  840 
2  160 

1  860 

2  520 

2  900 

3  960 
1  320 

1  680 

2  640 

1  100 
1  200 

780 
1  260 

900 

98  560 
83  730 
78  420 
75  000 
98  340 

28  500 

44  040 

4  800 

9  000 

68  880 

27  150 

2  490 

2  940 

1  200 

99  300 

32  550 

28  320 

2  110 

1  980 

1  080 

35  820 

12  420 

27  360 

1  500 

2  580 

1  620 

68  220 

16  560 

25  080 

2  220 

1  260 

780 

61  500 

11  760 

28  540 

60  330 

9  180 

14  340 

133  560 

36  090 

7  980 

12  900 

14  100 


Residual  Soils  (000) 

083 

Residual  Sand 

098 

Stony  Loam' 

Late  Swamp  and  Bottom-Land  Soils  (1400) 

1450 

Black  Mixed  Loam^ 

1454 

Mixed  Loam^ .  .        .    . 

1401 

Deep  Peat' 

904  140 

95  250 

2  280 

2  490 

is  i20 

14  ieo 

72  696 

LIMESTONE  and  SOIL  ACIDITY.— See  note  in  Table  2. 

'Representative  samples  could  not  be  taken  because  of  the  stony  character  of  the  soil. 

^On  account  of  the  heterogeneous  character  of  the  mixed  loams  chemical  analyses  are  not 


reported  for  these  types. 

'Amounts  reported  are  for  3  million  pounds  of  Deep  Peat. 


It  is  frequently  of  interest  to  know  the  total  supply  of  a  plant-food  element 
accessible  to  the  growing  crops.  While  it  is  not  possible  to  obtain  this  informa- 
tion exactly,  especially  for  the  deeper-rooted  crops,  it  seems  probable  that  prac- 
tically all  of  the  feeding  range  of  the  roots  of  most  of  our  common  field  crops 


14  Soil  Report  No.  38 

is  included  in  the  upper  40  inches  of  soil.  By  adding  together  for  a  given  soil 
type  the  corresponding  figures  in  Tables  2,  3,  and  4,  the  total  amounts  of  the 
respective  plant-food  elements  to  a  depth  of  40  inches  may  be  ascertained. 

Studying  the  figures  in  this  manner  the  tables  reveal  that  there  is  not  only 
a  wide  diversity  among  the  different  soils  with  respect  to  a  given  plant-food 
element,  but  that  there  is  also  a  great  variation  with  respect  to  the  relative  abund- 
ance of  the  various  elements  within  a  given  soil  type  as  measured  by  crop  re- 
quirements. For  example,  in  one  of  the  most  extensive  soil  types  in  the  county. 
Brown  Silt  Loam,  Upland,  we  find  that  the  total  quantity  of  nitrogen  in  an 
acre  to  a  depth  of  40  inches  amounts  to  13,880  pounds.  This  is  about  the  amount 
of  nitrogen  contained  in  the  same  number  of  bushels  of  corn.  The  amount  of 
phosphorus,  5,870  pounds,  contained  in  the  same  soil  is  equivalent  to  that  con- 
tained in  34,500  bushels  of  corn,  while  in  the  same  quantity  of  this  soil  there 
is  present  197,580  pounds  of  potassium,  the  equivalent  of  that  contained  in 
approximately  1  million  bushels  of  corn.  In  marked  contrast  to  this  soil,  with 
respect  to  nitrogen,  is  the  Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam,  an  important  upland  timber 
soil  type,  which  contains  in  the  40-inch  stratum  approximately  9,120  pounds 
per  acre  of  nitrogen,  an  amount  equal  to  that  in  9,120  bushels  of  corn.  The 
phosphorus  content  is  nearly  as  high  as  in  BroAvn  Silt  Loam,  namely,  5,800  pounds 
in  an  acre,  Avhich  is  equivalent  to  that  contained  in  34,100  bushels  of  corn.  The 
potassium  content  of  Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam  amounts  to  194,530  pounds. 

With  respect  to  calcium  it  is  not  feasible  to  make  such  comparisons  in  soil 
types  which  differ  within  themselves  as  to  the  presence  or  absence  of  native 
.calcium  carbonate  (limestone).  In  such  soils  the  average  calcium  content  cannot 
be  taken  as  representative  of  the  type.  For  example,  one  sample  of  Yellow-Gray 
Silt  Loam  is  acid  thruout  the  entire  40-inch  depth,  the  carbonates  having  been 
leached  to  a  greater  depth  than  40  inches.  Another  sample  of  the  same  type 
contains  carbonates  in  the  lower  stratum  (20  to  40  inches)  and  consequently  is 
non-acid.  The  acid  sample  contains  26,940  pounds  per  acre  of  calcium  in  the 
lower  stratum  while  the  other  has  95,640  pounds,  or  more  than  three  times  as 
much.  These  differences  are  thus  much  greater  than  the  variations  between 
averages  of  different  soil  types. 

The  above  statements  are  not  hitended  to  imply  that  it  is  possible  to  predict 
how  long  it  might  be  before  a  certain  soil  would  become  exhausted  under  a  given 
system  of  cropping.  Neither  do  the  figures  necessarily  indicate  the  immediate 
procedure  to  be  followed  in  the  improvement  of  a  soil,  for  other  factors  enter  into 
consideration  aside  from  merely  the  amount  of  plant-food  elements  present. 
Much  depends  upon  the  nature  of  the  crops  to  be  grown  as  to  their  utilization 
of  plant-food  materials,  and  much  depends  iipon  the  condition  of  the  plant-food 
substances  themselves,  as  to  their  availability.  Finally,  in  planning  the  detailed 
procedure  for  the  improvement  of  a  soil,  there  enter  for  consideration  all  the 
economic  factors  involved  in  any  fertilizer  treatment.  Such  chemical  data  do, 
however,  furnish  an  inventory  of  the  total  stocks  of  the  plant-food  elements 
that  can  possibly  be  drawn  upon,  and  in  this  way  contribute  fundamental  in- 
formation for  the  intelligent  planning,  in  a  broad  way,  of  systems  of  soil  man- 
agement for  conserving  and  improving  the  fertility  of  the  land. 


Ogle  County  15 

DESCRIPTION  OF  SOIL  TYPES 

(a)  UPLAND  PRAIRIE  SOILS 

The  upland  prairie  soils  of  Ogle  county  occupy  433.30  square  miles,  or 
57.46  percent  of  the  area  of  the  county.  They  are  fairly  well  distributed  over 
the  county  with  the  exception  of  the  territory  adjacent  to  Rock  river,  which 
is  occupied  by  timber  soils. 

The  dark  color  of  the  prairie  soils  is  due  to  the  accumulation  of  organic 
matter,  which  is  derived  very  largely  from  the  fibrous  roots  of  the  prairie  grasses. 
The  network  of  grass  roots  was  protected  from  rapid  and  complete  decay  thru 
the  partial  exclusion  of  oxygen  by  the  covering  of  fine,  moist  soil  and  mat  of 
vegetative  material  consisting  of  old  grass  stems  and  leaves.  The  stems  and 
leaves  were  burned  in  part  by  prairie  fires  or  disappeared  in  part  by  decay. 
Thus  they  added  but  little  organic  matter  to  the  soil  directly,  but,  being  con- 
stantly renewed,  they  helped  to  cheek  the  decay  of  the  fibrous  roots. 

Brown  Silt  Loam  (626,  726,  926) 

Brown  Silt  Loam  is  the  most  extensive  of  the  upland  types  in  Ogle  county. 
It  covers  an  area  of  384.24  square  miles,  or  just  about  one-half  of  the  area  of 
the  county. 

This  type  shows  some  variation  in  the  different  parts  of  the  county  with 
reference  to  the  depth  of  horizons,  color,  texture,  and  topography.  Its  topogra- 
phy varies  from  undulating  to  rolling.  The  southeastern  corner  of  the  county, 
which  is  morainal,  and  the  north  and  west  portions  are  rolling.  The  remainder  of 
the  Brown  Silt  Loam  is  undulating  to  slightly  rolling  in  topography. 

Drainage  in  this  type  is  well  developed.  The  depth  to  the  glacial  till  varies 
in  the  different  parts  of  the  county.  The  underlying  material  thruout  the  type 
is  glacial  drift,  with  the  exception  of  the  areas  where  no  till  was  deposited  or 
where  it  has  been  eroded  away,  in  which  eases  the  soil  has  developed  directly  on 
the  bed  rock.  The  thickness  of  the  surface  loess,  or  loess-like  material,  varies  from 
about  20  inches  to  as  much  as  6  feet.  These  differences  in  depth  and  associated 
differences  in  soils  are  not  shown  on  the  soil  map.  Brown  Silt  Loam  adjacent 
to  Sandy  Loam  is  more  or  less  of  a  sandy  texture.  Practically  all  of  the  type 
is  under  cultivation. 

The  A^  horizon,  which  is  about  7  inches  thick,  is  a  light  to  medium  brown 
silt  loam,  having  an  appreciable  amount  of  sand  present  near  the  sandy  areas. 
The  Ag  horizon,  extending  to  a  depth  of  about  18  inches,  is  friable  in  texture 
and  varies  from  a  light  brown  silt  loam  with  a  slight  yellow  cast  to  a  yellowish 
brown  silt  loam.  The  yellowish  shade  occurs  on  the  more  rolling  areas.  The  B 
horizon  is  about  20  inches  in  thickness  and  is  a  slightly  compact  yellow  silt  loam 
with  slight  joint  mottling.  Below  a  depth  of  24  to  38  inches  the  C  horizon 
occurs.  This  is  a  friable  yellow  silt  loam,  somewhat  mottled  in  the  joints  and 
splotched  with  yellow  and  red  iron  concretions. 

The  type  shows  the  same  character  of  profile  on  the  areas  where  the  till  lies 
within  20  inches  or  so  of  the  surface,  with  the  exception  that  the  surface,  sub- 
surface, and  subsoil  horizons  are  not  so  thick  as  where  the  till  is  deeper. 


16  Soil  Report  No.  38 

Management. — For  suggestions  regarding  the  management  of  this  soil,  the 
reader  is  referred  to  the  results  of  experiment  fields  at  Mt.  Morris  and  at  Dixon, 
pages  47  and  54,  which  may  be  considered  as  fairly  representative  of  most  of  the 
Brown  Silt  Loam  as  it  occurs  in  Ogle  county.  It  will  be  noted  that  manure  has 
given  excellent  returns  on  these  fields'  and  that  the  use  of  limestone  has  paid  a 
fairly  good  profit.  The  use  of  rock  phosphate  has  resulted  in  crop  increases 
just  about  sufficient  to  pay  for  the  application  of  one-half  ton  of  this  material 
per  acre  once  in  four  years.  The  reader  is  referred  to  page  39  for  a  further 
discussion  of  the  phosphate  problem. 

Present  knowledge  regarding  the  management  of  this  soil,  while  not  com- 
plete, indicates  clearly  the  need  for  fresh  organic  matter,  and,  on  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  type,  an  application  of  limestone.  The  amount  of  limestone  needed 
varies  and  should  be  determined  for  each  field.  The  clovers,  or  other  legumes, 
should  be  regularly  grown  to  supply  fresh  organic  matter  and  also  nitrogen. 
At  the  same  time  this  is  being  done,  trials  may  well  be  made  of  the  various  phos- 
phates including  rock  phosphate,  basic  slag,  steamed  bone  meal,  and  acid  phos- 
phate. It  should  be  borne  in  mind  in  making  these  trials  that,  of  the  grain  crops, 
wheat  responds  best  to  phosphate. 

Brown  Silt  Loam  On  Limestone  (626.5,  726.5) 

Brown  Silt  Loam  On  Limestone  occurs  in  small  scattering  areas  thruout 
most  of  the  county,  occupying  a  total  of  1.38  square  miles.  This  type  is  usually 
located  on  the  slopes  of  the  more  rolling  areas  of  prairie  soil  where  the  limestone 
occurs  within  30  inches  of  the  surface.  Only  a  very  general  description  of  the 
soil  horizons  can  be  written  because  the  depth  to  the  rock  varies  from  a  few 
inches  to  about  30  inches. 

The  Aj  horizon,  with  an  average  depth  of  6  inches,  is  a  brown  silt  loam. 
The  Ag  horizon,  extending  to  a  depth  of  about  18  inches,  is  a  light  brown  to  a 
yellowish  brown  silt  loam.  The  B  horizon  extends  to  the  bed  rock  which  occurs 
at  variable  depths  as  stated  above.  This  horizon  occurs  in  two  parts.  The  upper 
part  is  a  slightly  compact  yellow  silt  loam;  the  lower  is  a  compact,  red,  residual 
clay  from  2  to  4  inches  in  tliickness  resting  directly  on  the  limestone. 

Management. — This  type  is  suitable  only  for  pasture  because  of  its  drouthy 
nature.  It  produces  excellent  bluegrass  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  shallower 
portions,  should  grow  good  sweet  clover. 

Brown  Sandy  Loam  (760) 

Brown  Sandy  Loam  occurs  east  of  Rock  river,  in  the  regions  of  the  glacial 
fills  of  the  old  preglacial  stream  valleys,  and  also  adjacent  to  Rock  river.  The 
sandy  texture  of  the  soil  is  due  to  wind  action  which  has  blown  the  sand  out  of 
the  bottoms  upon  the  uplands.  The  topography  of  the  type  is  undulating  to 
rolling.     The  drainage  is  usually  well  developed,  owing  to  the  open  subsoil. 

The  A^  horizon,  extending  to  a  depth  of  about  8  inches,  is  a  brown  sandy 
loam.  The  Aj,  horizon  which  extends  to  a  depth  of  about  18  inches,  is  a  light 
brown  to  yellowish  brown  sandy  loam.    The  upper  8  or  9  inches  of  the  B  horizon 


Ogle  County  17 

varies  from  a  friable,  yellow  sandy  loam,  splotched  with  gray,  to  a  slightly  com- 
pact, yellow  clayey  sand.  The  C  horizon  is  a  yellow,  sandy,  gravelly  loam.  It 
occurs  at  a  depth  of  25  to  35  inches. 

Management. — Brown  Sandy  Loam  is  somewhat  acid,  tho  it  varies  in  degree 
of  acidity.  It  has  a  slight  tendency  to  he  drouthy  in  places  where  the  soil  is 
shallow,  and  in  some  areas  considerable  trouble  is  caused  by  its  drifting  with  the 
wind. 

The  general  recommendations  for  the  management  of  this  type  include  the 
application  of  limestone  at  the  proper  rate,  the  growing  and  turning  down  of 
legumes,  preferably  sweet  clover,  and  the  use  of  early  maturing  crops  on  the 
drouthy  areas.  The  proper  rate  of  application  of  limestone  can  be  determined 
by  the  County  Farm  Adviser  or  by  securing  the  assistance  of  the  Agricultural 
Experiment  Station.  Alfalfa  will  do  well  on  this  soil  after  sufficient  limestone 
has  been  applied,  particularly  if  it  is  preceded  by  sweet  clover. 

Brown  Sandy  Loam  On  Limestone  (660.5) 

Brown  Sandy  Loam  On  Limestone,  which  occupies  only  1.64  square  miles, 
or  .22  percent  of  the  area  of  the  county,  occurs  in  scattering  areas  along  the  east 
side  of  Rock  river.  Usuall.y,  these  areas  are  rather  indefinite  as  to  outline  because 
of  the  irregularity  in  the  contours  of  the  limestone  beds.  Most  of  the  areas  have 
been  left  in  permanent  pasture,  because  the  rock  is  too  near  the  surface  for 
cropping.  The  topography  is  slightly  rolling,  permitting  good  drainage.  The 
limestone  lies  at  depths  varying  from  a  few  inches  to  30  inches  below  the  surface, 
the  most  common  depth  being  8  to  20  inches. 

The  Aj  horizon,  varying  from  4  to  7  inches  in  thickness,  is  a  brown  sandy 
loam.  The  Aj  horizon  is  a  light  brown  sandy  loam.  The  B  horizon,  which  varies 
from  4  to  6  inches  in  thickness,  lies  directly  on  the  limestone  and  is  either  a  com- 
pact, reddish  yellow,  gravelly,  sandy  clay,  or  a  red  clay. 

Management, — This  type  is  better  adapted  to  permanent  pasture  than  to 
the  general  farm  crops.  Its  occurrence,  however,  as  small  scattering  areas  in 
the  Brown  Sandy  Loam  makes  it  necessary  to  farm  many  of  the  areas  in  the 
same  way  that  the  latter  type  is  farmed.  General  suggestions  for  the  manage- 
ment of  Brown  Sandy  Loam  may  be  found  on  page  16. 

Brown  Sandy  Loam  On  Sandstone  (760.5) 

Brown  Sandy  Loam  On  Sandstone,  which  occupies  a  total  of  only  64  acres, 
occurs  south  of  Oregon.  The  topography  of  the  region  in  which  the  small  areas 
of  this  type  occur  is  undulating  to  rolling.  Drainage  is  well  developed,  owing 
to  the  slope  and  to  the  open  nature  of  the  soil. 

This  type  may  be  thought  of  as  poor  spots  in  Brown  Sandy  Loam.  For  this 
reason  it  usually  is  not  practical  to  give  it  any  special  management. 

Brown-Gray  Silt  Loam  On  Tight  Clay  (628,  728) 

Only  25  acres  of  Brown-Gray  Silt  Loam  On  Tight  Clay,  Upland,  occur  in 
Ogle  county. 


18  Soil  Report  No.  38 

The  A^  horizon  is  a  grayish  brown  silt  loam.  The  A2  horizon  is  a  gray  silt 
loam,  and  the  B  horizon  is  a  tough,  plastic,  compact,  drab  clay. 

Management. — The  small  area  of  this  type  in  Ogle  county  makes  its  manage- 
ment of  no  general  interest.  Suggestions  may  be  secured  from  the  Agricultural 
Experiment  Station  by  anyone  interested. 

Dune  Sand  (781) 

Dune  Sand,  Upland,  comprizes  a  total  of  2.11  square  miles  in  Ogle  county. 
It  occurs  in  the  areas  of  sandy  loams  where  the  wind  has  had  opportunity  to 
rework  the  sand  particles  and  has  redeposited  them  in  dune-like  formations. 
Blowouts,  as  well  as  dunes,  are  common  in  the  region.  The  topography  of  the 
type  is  billowy. 

The  Aj  horizon,  which  varies  from  0  to  3  inches  in  thickness,  depending  on 
the  amount  of  organic  matter  that  has  accumulated,  is  a  brownish  yellow  to 
yellow,  loamy  sand.  There  is  no  distinct  horizon  development  below  this  shallow, 
brownish  surface,  the  material  below  consisting  of  yellow  sand. 

Management. — Dune  Sand  is  somewhat  acid  and  the  correction  of  this  con- 
dition by  the  use  of  limestone  is  the  first  step  towards  the  profitable  utilization 
of  this  type.  The  Oquawka  experiment  field  is  located  on  Dune  Sand  and  very 
striking  results  have  been  secured  there  with  limestone  and  manure  and  with 
limestone  and  sweet  clover.  The  reader  is  referred  to  page  58,  where  the  crop 
yields  on  this  field  are  given.  The  information  given  by  these  figures  is  the  best 
available  for  Dune  Sand,  either  Terrace  or  Upland,  as  it  occurs  in  Ogle  county. 

Gravelly  Loam  (690,  790) 

Gravelly  Loam  occupies  a  total  area  of  only  a  little  more  than  II/2  square 
miles.  It  occurs  in  the  localities  where  eskers,  or  gravelly  ridges,  have  been 
built  by  subglacial  streams  or  in  crevices  of  the  ice  mass.  Very  little  loessial 
material  occurs  on  these  gravel  ridges.  The  three  main  areas  of  Gravelly  Loam 
are  the  Adeline,  HazeUiurst,  and  Stillman  Valley  eskers.  They  are  of  very  little 
agricultural  value  aside  from  pasture.  The  gravels  are  used  for  road  building 
and  railroad  fills. 

(b)  UPLAND  TIMBER  SOILS 

The  upland  timber  soils  occur  as  irregular  zones  along  streams  and  on  or 
near  somewhat  steep  morainal  ridges.  Their  most  noticeable  characteristic  is  the 
yellowish  gray  color  of  the  surface,  due  in  part  to  its  low  organic-matter  content. 
The  deficiency  in  organic  matter  has  been  caused  by  the  long-continued  growth 
of  forest  trees.  Two  effects  were  produced  by  the  forest  trees:  the  shade  from 
the  trees  prevented  the  growth  of  prairie  grasses,  the  roots  of  which  are  mainly 
responsible  for  the  large  organic-matter  content  in  prairie  soils;  and  the  trees 
themselves  added  very  little  organic  matter  to  the  soil,  for  the  leaves  and  branches 
either  decayed  completely  or  were  burned  by  forest  fires.  As  a  result,  the 
organic-matter  content  of  the  upland  timber  soils  is  always  less  than  that  of 
the  adjacent  prairie  land.  Several  generations  of  trees  were  necessary  to  pro- 
duce the  present  condition  of  the  soil. 


Ogle  County  19 

The  upland  timber  soils  occupy  154.70  square  miles,  or  practically  one-fifth 
of  the  area  of  the  county. 

Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam  (634,  734,  934) 

The  total  area  of  Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam  in  Ogle  county  is  118.46  square 
miles,  or  15.70  percent  of  the  area  of  the  county  and  approximately  75  percent 
of  the  total  area  of  the  timber  soils.  It  occupies  the  portion  of  the  light-colored 
or  timber  soil  area  of  the  county  which  has  an  undulating  to  slightly  rolling 
topography.  In  the  northwestern  part  of  the  county  certain  areas  have  been 
classified  as  Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam  in  which  the  light  color  of  the  soil  is  the 
result  of  erosion  rather  than  of  forest  growth.  These  areas  altho  not  strictly 
of  the  type  Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam,  are  correlated  with  it  because  of  their  small 
total  extent. 

The  Aj  horizon,  which  is  about  6  inches  in  thickness,  is  a  brownish  yellow 
to  a  grayish  yellow  silt  loam.  The  A^  horizon,  extending  to  a  depth  of  about  18 
inches,  is  a  yellow  silt  loam  mottled  with  gray.  The  B  horizon,  extending  to 
about  32  inches  in  depth,  is  a  slightly  mottled,  slightly  compact,  yellow  silt  loam. 
The  C  horizon,  below  32  inches,  is  a  friable,  strongly  mottled,  yellow  silt  loam 
splotched  with  brown  and  red  iron  concretions. 

Management. — Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam  is  slightly  acid  and  is  low  in  nitrogen 
and  organic  matter.  The  application  of  about  2  tons  of  limestone  an  acre  and 
the  growing  of  sweet  clover  are  recommended  as  effective  treatments  in  rapidly 
increasing  the  productivity  of  this  soil.  The  sweet  clover  can  be  used  to  advan- 
tage by  pasturing  it  in  the  fall  of  the  first  year  and  ploAving  it  down  for  corn 
in  the  spring  of  the  second  year.  If  wheat  is  grown,  it  is  suggested  that  a  trial 
be  made  of  one  or  more  of  the  following  carriers  of  phosphorus:  acid  phos- 
phate applied  at  the  rate  of  about  300  pounds  an  acre,  steamed  bone  meal  at 
half  the  above  rate,  basic  slag  applied  at  the  rate  of  about  200  pounds  an  acre,  or 
rock  phosphate  applied  at  the  rate  of  about  1,000  pounds  an  acre.  There  are  no 
experiment  field  results  exactly  applicable  to  this  soil  type  as  it  occurs  in  Ogle 
county,  but  the  very  striking  increases  in  yield  obtained  with  steamed  bone  meal 
as  well  as  with  rock  phosphate,  on  a  somewhat  similar  soil  in  Lake  county,  leads 
to  the  suggestion  that  some  form  of  phosphate  be  given  thoro  trial. 

Yellow  Silt  Loam  (635,  735) 

Yellow  Silt  Loam  occurs  in  irregular  areas  as  rough  and  broken  land  imme- 
diately adjacent  to  streams  and  on  slopes  at  some  distance  from  the  streams. 
As  mapped,  it  is  the  eroded  portion  of  the  timber  soils  from  which  much  or  all  of 
the  surface  soil  has  been  removed  by  washing,  exposing  a  yellow  subsoil.  Yellow 
Silt  Loam  covers  17.39  square  miles,  or  2.30  percent  of  the  area  of  the  county. 
The  exact  character  of  this  type  varies  greatly  because  of  differences  in  vegetation 
and  the  amount  of  washing. 

The  Ai  horizon,  which  may  extend  to  a  depth  of  3  or  4  inches,  is  usually  a 
grayish  yellow  to  a  brownish  yellow  silt  loam.  Below  this  depth,  a  friable  yellow 
silt  loam  may  occur,  which  rests  on  a  medium  plastic,  rather  compact,  yellow 


20  Soil  Report  No.  38 

silty  clay  loam.  Till  and  limestone  rock  Vary  in  depth  below  the  surface,  de- 
pending on  the  amount  of  erosion  that  has  taken  place.  Usually  the  depth  to  till 
or  rock  varies  from  25  or  30  inches  to  4  or  5  feet.  A  stratum  of  yellowish  red, 
sandy  clay  loam,  4  to  8  inches  in  thickness,  frequently  occurs  directly  above 
the  limestone. 

Management. — The  timber  has  been  cut  off  from  practically  all  of  the  land 
included  in  this  type.  Certain  areas  of  the  type  near  Rock  river  have  grown 
up  in  underbrush  and  scrub  timber  and  are  of  no  value  as  sources  of  timber  and 
of  little  value  as  pasture.  Other  areas  have  been  farmed  with  disastrous  results 
because  of  erosion.  The  less  steep  slopes  may  be  farmed  successfully  but  special 
precautions  must  be  taken  to  reduce  erosion.  The  wisest  course  to  follow  with 
this  land  is  to  put  the  steepest  slopes  in  timber  and  the  less  steep  slopes  in  orchard 
or  permanent  pasture.  .Results  of  some  experiments  on  this  type  as  it  occurs  in 
southern  Illinois  is  given  in  the  account  of  the  Vienna  field,  found  on  page  55. 

Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam  On  Lim^tone  (634.5,  734.5) 

Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam  On  Limestone  occupies  a  total  area  of  less  than  one 
square  mile.    It  occurs  as  small  areas  thruout  Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam. 

The  A^  horizon,  which  is  about  5  or  6  inches  in  thickness,  is  a  grayish  yellow 
silt  loam.  The  Ag  horizon,  extending  to  about  14  inches  in  depth,  is  a  yellow 
silt  loam  mottled  with  gray.  The  B  horizon,  which  is  made  up  of  two  distinct 
strata,  extends  to  the  bed  rock.  The  upper  portion  is  a  compact,  slightly  mottled, 
yellow  silty  clay  loam.  It  rests  on  a  layer  of  sticky,  compact,  reddish  yellow  to 
red  residual  clay  about  3  or  4  inches  in  thickness.  This  red  clay  rests  directly 
upon  the  limestone  which  lies  20  to  30  inches  below  the  surface. 

Management. — Since  this  type  is  so  intimately  associated  with  Yellow-Gray 
Silt  Loam,  it  must  in  most  cases  receive  the  same  management  as  Yellow-Gray 
Silt  Loam.    The  reader  is  referred  to  the  discussion  of  the  latter  type  on  page  19. 

Yellow  Silt  Loam  On  Limestone  (635.5,  735.5) 

Yellow  Silt  Loam  On  Limestone  occupies  the  same  topographic  position  as 
Yellow  Silt  Loam.  It  covers  only  .89  of  a  square  mile  and  is  usually  found  on 
the  steepest  slopes.  The  type  is  non-agricultural,  owing  to  the  nearness  of  the 
limestone  to  the  surface  and  the  steepness  of  its  topography.  The  depth  to 
limestone  varies  from  a  few  inches  to  as  much  as  30  inches  below  the  surface. 

The  Ai  horizon  is  usually  about  2  or  3  inches  in  thickness  and  varies  from  a 
dark  brown  or  brownish  yellow  to  a  grayish  yellow  silt  loam.  Below  this  depth 
a  stratum  of  yellow  silt  loam  occurs  which  is  usually  about  6  inches  in  thickness. 
As  the  underlying  limestone  is  approached,  the  material  becomes  a  plastic,  sandy 
to  gravelly,  yellow  clay  loam,  with  a  stratum  of  red,  residual  clay  immediately 
on  top  of  the  limestone. 

Management.— "Thi^  type  can  be  used  in  most  cases  only  for  timber  or  pasture. 


Ogle  County  21 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  (664,  764) 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  occurs  near  Rock  river,  where  a  considerable 
amount  of  sand  has  been  blown  from  the  bottom  land  and  deposited  on  the 
upland  by  the  winds.  It  occupies  34.77  square  miles,  or  1.95  percent  of  the  area 
of  the  county.  The  topography  of  the  type  varies  from  undulating  to  rolling. 
Drainage  is  good  because  of  the  open  sandy  subsoil. 

The  A^  horizon,  which  is  about  5  inches  in  thickness,  is  a  grayish  yellow  sandy 
loam.  The  A^  horizon,  extending^  to  a  depth  of  about  15  inches,  is  a  yellow  sandy 
loam  with  slight  joint  mottling.  The  B  horizon,  in  the  upper  portion,  is  a  slightly 
compact,  yellow,  sandy  silt  loam.  In  the  lower  portion  it  is  a  yellow  sand  at 
about  24  or  25  inches.  At  about  32  inches  a  gravelly  glacial  till  occurs,  wMch 
may  rest  on  limestone  bed  rock  within  35  or  40  inches  of  the  surface. 

Management. — A  portion  of  this  type  remains  in  timber  and  some  of  it  is 
in  permanent  pasture.  Both  the  nitrogen  and  organic-matter  contents  of  the  soil 
are  low  and  an  application  of  about  2  tons  of  limestone  an  acre  must  be  made 
before  sweet  clover  or  alfalfa  can  be  grown.  The  open  nature  of  the  subsoil 
makes  this  type  somewhat  drouthy,  and  for  that  reason  it  is  advisable  to  grow 
early  maturing  crops.  Provision  should  be  made  in  the  cropping  system  for  the 
regular  addition  of  leguminous  green  manure  to  the  soil.  No  mineral  fertilizer 
treatment  is  advised  for  this  type  except  on  a  small  trial  basis.' 

Yellow  Sandy  Loam  (665,  765) 

Yellow  Sandy  Loam  occurs  as  eroded  areas  in  the__same  region  as  Yellow- 
Gray  Sandy  Loam.  It  is  also  found  on  some  of  the  steep  slopes  of  the  Residual 
Sand  areas.  It  occupies  a  total  of  only  1.72  square  miles,  and  only  areas  of 
small  acreage  are  to  be  found,  most  of  which  are  near  Rock  river. 

This  soil  to  a  depth  of  2  to  5  inches  is  a  brownish  yellow  to  yellow  sandy  loam. 
No  distinct  Ag,  B,  or  C  horizons  are  distinguishable  because  of  the  fact  that  this 
soil  is  immature,  owing  to  rapid  erosion.  For  a  depth  of  15  to  18  inches  it  is 
usually  a  yellow  sandy  loam,  and  below  this  depth  a  yellow  to  reddish  yellow, 
sandy  clay  loam  occurs.  The  reddish  color  usually  occurs  in  a  stratum  6  to  8 
inches  thick,  which  lies  directly  above  the  sandstone  or  limestone. 

Management. — Yellow  Sandy  Loam  is,  for  the  most  part,  kept  in  pasture  and 
timber  and  this  practice  should  be  continued. 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  On  Limestone  (664.5) 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  On  Limestone  occurs  in  small,  scattering  areas 
thruout  the  limestone  region  along  Rock  river.  It  covers  a  total  of  only  .09  of 
a  square  mile.  This  type  is  very  similar  to  Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam  with  the  ex- 
ception that  the  underlying  limestone  occurs  at  a  depth  of  12  to  28  or  30  inches 
below  the  surface.  It  is  of  very  little  importance  and  should  be  handled  in  the 
same  way  as  Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  (see  management  discussion  above). 


22  Soil  Report  No.  38 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  On  Sandstone  (764.5) 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  On  Sandstone  occurs  in  scattering  areas  in  the 
sandstone  region.  It  occupies  a  total  of  only  .63  of  a  square  mile.  Most  of  the 
type  is  utilized  for  pasture  land  because  the  sandstone  is  too  near  the  surface 
for  good  farm  land.  It  is  of  even  less  value  than  Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  On 
Limestone  and  no  effort  should  be  made  to  put  it  in  cultivated  crops. 

(c)  TERRACE  SOILS 

Nearly  all  of  the  terrace  soils  are  located  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county 
along  the  course  occupied  by  the  preglacial  Rock  river.  In  addition  to  this  large 
terrace  Rock  river  has  constructed  small  sand  and  gravel  terraces  along  its 
present  course,  and  some  small  terraces  are  found  along  the  small  streams. 

These  terraces  were  formed  by  streams  overloaded  with  sediment  during 
flood  periods.  Later  when  the  streams  diminished  in  volume,  these  former  flood 
plains  were  no  longer  overflowed  and  became  terraces.  At  the  same  time  new 
flood  plains  at  lower  levels  were  formed. 

Brown  Silt  Loam  Over  Gravel  (1527) 

Nearly  all  the  areas  of  Brown  Silt  Loam  Over  Gravel  are  found  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  county,  in  the  preglacial  Rock  river  terrace.  Some  small  areas  occur 
along  Rock  river  and  its  tributaries.  The  type  occupies  51.7  square  miles,  or 
6.85  percent  of  the  area  of  the  county.  In  topography  it  varies  from  flat  to  undu- 
lating. Drainage  has,  for  the  most  part,  been  well  established  thru  the  construc- 
tion of  dredges  and  lateral  tiling.  In  the  southern  part  of  the  .county  near 
Rochelle  the  type  is  a  heavier  phase  and  needs  better  drainage  than  is  at  present 
provided. 

The  A^  horizon,  which  is  about  8  inches  thick,  is  a  brown  to  dark  brown  silt 
loaih.  The  Ag  horizon,  extending  to  a  depth  of  about  18  inches,  is  a  yellowish 
brown  silt  loam.  The  B  horizon  occurs  as  a  stratum  about  12  inches  in  thickness. 
It  varies  from  a  slightly  plastic,  fairly  compact,  silty  clay  to  silt  loam.  It  is 
usually  drabbish  gray  in  color.  The  C  horizon  occurs  below  30  inches.  It  is 
a  friable,  mottled,  yellow  silt  loam  splotched  with  orange-red  concretions.  The 
depth  to  sand  and  gravel  varies  from  42  to  50  inches  below  the  surface. 

Management. — This  type  varies  in  acidity  and  each  field  should  be  tested 
before  applying  limestone.  The  reader  is  referred  to  the  discussion  of  Brown 
Silt  Loam,  Upland,  page  15,  for  suggestions  regarding  the  management  of  this 
terrace  type. 

Black'^SiltjLoam  (1525) 

■  Black  Silt  Loam  is  second  in  extent  of  the  terrace  types,  occupying  16.11 
square  miles.  It  is  found  in  scattered  areas  thruout  the  preglacial  Rock  river 
terrace  and  occupies  the  low-lying,  flat  land.  The  transition  from  Brown  Silt 
Loam  to  Black  Silt  Loam  is  very  gradual. 

The  Aj  horizon,  which  is  about  6  inches  thick,  varies  from  black  silt  loam 
to  black  silty  clay  loam,  with  a  slight  gray  cast  in  areas  which  are  alkaline.  The 
Aj  horizon,  which  extends  to  a  depth  of  about  17  inches,  is  a  plastic,  black  clay 


I 


Ogle  County  23 

loam.  The  B  horizon  in  the  upper  14  inches  is  a  plastic,  compact,  drab  clay  loam, 
splotched  with  yellow  and  gray  streaks.  The  lower  part  of  the  B  horizon,  ex- 
tending to  about  40  inches  in  depth,  varies  from  a  plastic,  drab  to  gray,  silty 
clay  loam.  Below  40  inches  it  changes  to  a  friable  material  which  rests  on  a 
substratum  of  yellow  to  gray  sand  at  a  depth  of  about  48  inches. 

Management. — The  drainage  of  the  low-lying,  flat  land  occupied  by  this  type 
has  been  fairly  well  taken  care  of  by  dredge  ditches  and  tile,  altho  portions  of 
the  type  need  additional  drainage.  Alkali  is  common  thruout  the  type  and 
occurs  in  harmful  amounts  in  some  places.  Its  bad  effects  may  be  counteracted 
by  the  use  of  about  100  pounds  of  a  potash  salt  per  acre.  The  organic-matter  con- 
tent of  this  soil  is  high,  but  it  should  not  be  cropped  continuously  without  the 
addition  of  fresh  organic  matter  at  regular  intervals  in  the  rotation.  The  prac- 
tice has  become  common  of  raising  a  crop  of  sweet  corn  on  this  land  followed 
the  same  year  by  a  crop  of  peas.  This  practice  gives  a  high  return,  but  if  con- 
tinued on  the  same  land  year  after  year,  it  would  not  provide  for  returning 
sufficient  organic  matter  to  the  soil. 

Brown  Sandy  Loam  Over  Gravel  (1566) 

Brown  Sandy  Loam  Over  Gravel  is  found  in  scattered  areas  thruout  the 
different  terrace  formations  of  the  county ;  most  of  it,  however,  occurs  along 
Rock  river,  and  Stillman  and  Kyte  creeks.  The  topography  of  the  type  varies 
from  undulating  to  rolling.  Drainage  is  good  because  the  type  is  underlain  with 
sand  and  gravel.  It  occupies  7.32  square  miles,  or  .97  percent  of  the  area  of  the 
county.  Practically  all  of  the  type  is  under  cultivation,  altho  some  of  it  in  the 
vicinity  of  Daysville  and  Honey  Creek  is  left  in  pasture  because  of  the  low 
organic-matter  content  and  the  high  percent  of  sand. 

The  Aj  horizon,  extending  to  about  8  inches  in  depth,  is  a  medium  to  coarse- 
grained brown  sandy  loam.  The  A^' horizon,  which  extends  to  a  depth  of  about 
18  inches,  is  a  yellowish  brown  to  yellow  sand.  The  B  horizon,  in  the  upper 
6  or  7  inches,  is  a  slightly  plastic,  somewhat  compact,  yellow,  sandy  clay  loam, 
slightly  mottled  and  splotched  Avith  brown  iron  concretions.  Below  28  inches, 
it  is  a  yellow  sand,  strongly  splotched  with  red  iron  concretions.  About  38  to  45 
inches  below  the  surface,  the  sand  contains  a  considerable  amount  of  small  pebbles. 

Management. — As  a  general  rule  the  drainage  of  the  undulating  phase  is 
fair,  but  in  the  flat  areas  near  Daysville,  artificial  drainage  is  necessary.  Some 
difficulty  is  encountered  in  the  case  of  open  ditches  which  tend  to  fill  up  rapidly 
with  sediment.  This  soil  will  respond  well  to  good  farming,  including  the  applica- 
tion of  limestone  and  the  turning  down  of  nitrogenous  organic  matter.  It  is  a 
good  alfalfa  soil  and  produces  good  corn  following  sweet  clover  or  alfalfa. 

Brown  Sandy  Loam  On  Gravel  (1560.4) 

Brown  Sandy  Loam  On  Gravel  occurs  along  the  old  preglacial  Stillman 
creek  in  the  vicinity  of  Stillman  Valley  and  a  few  scattering  areas  along  Rock 
river.  It  covers  a  total  area  of  only  1.81  square  miles.  The  topography  is  undu- 
lating and  the  drainage  is  well  developed  since  there  is  plenty  of  fall  to  the 


24  Soil  Report  No.  38 

streams  and  the  substratum  is  open.    The  nearness  of  the  gravel  to  the  surface 
has  a  detrimental  effect  upon  growing  crops  during  seasons  of  drouth. 

The  A^  horizon,  extending  to  a  depth  of  8  inches,  is  a  medium  to  coarse- 
grained brown  sandy  loam.  The  Ag  horizon,  which  extends  to  about  21  inches  in 
depth,  is  a  yellowish  brown  sand.  Since  the  depth  to  the  underlying  gravel 
varies  from  22  to  34  inches,  depending  on  the  contour  of  the  gravel  bed,  the  B 
horizon  is  variable  in  depth  and  texture.  On  an  average  it  is  6  or  7  inches  in 
thickness  and  is  a  slightly  compact,  yellow  clayey  sand,  with  some  fine  gravel, 
resting  on  gravelly  sand,  directly  above  the  gravel  deposits. 

Management. — The  fact  that  the  stratum  of  soil  above  the  gravel  is  rather 
thin  accounts  for  the  drouthy  nature  of  this  type.  Since  the  soil  is  low  in  nitrogen 
and  organic  matter,  the  growing  of  legumes  is  advised.  With  the  tendency  of 
the  type  to  be  slightly  acid,  an  application  of  about  2  tons  of  limestone  is  ad- 
visable. Also,  the  use  of  early  maturing  crops  is  recommended  because  for  such 
crops  the  period  of  greatest  need  of  moisture  is  past  before  the  driest  part  of  the 
season  approaches. 

Black  Sandy  Loam  (1561) 

Black  Sandy  Loam  is  located  in  the  terraces  of  Kishwaukee  river  in  the 
northeast  part  of  the  county.  It  occupies  only  about  160  acres.  It  is  flat  in 
topography  and  has  been  fairly  well  drained  of  late  years.  It  is  slightly  lower 
in  elevation  than  the  adjoining  types. 

The  A^  horizon,  which  is  about  6  inches  thick,  is  a  black  sandy  loam,  with 
some  silty  and  clayey  spots  too  small  to  show  on  the  map.  The  A^  horizon, 
extending  to  a  depth  of  about  17  inches,  is  a  brov/n  to  black  sandy  loam.  The 
B  horizon  in  the  upper  7  inches  is  a  drab  sandy  loam,  becoming  a  clayey  sand  at 
about  2-1  inches.  Below  this  depth  it  is  a  slightly  compact,  sandy  clay  loam, 
drabbish  yellow  to  yellow  in  color,  which  passes  into  a  yellow  sand  at  depths  vary- 
ing from  36  to  45  inches  below  the  surface. 

Management. — The  improvement  of  the  underdrainage  is  the  first  problem 
in  the  management  of  this  type  in  order  to  lower  the  water  table  and  remove  the 
alkali  which  occurs  in  spots.  These  spots  can  be  made  productive  by  applying 
potassium  salts  at  the  rate  of  about  100  pounds  an  acre.  Plowing  down  manure 
and  straw  also  helps  in  overcoming  the  bad  effects  of  the  alkali.  Legumes  should 
have  a  regular  place  in  the  rotation  as  a  source  of  nitrogen  and  readily  de- 
composable organic  matter,  particularly  for  the  non-alkali  portions  of  the  type. 

Yellow-Gray^Silt  Loam  Over  Gravel  (1536) 

Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam  Over  Gravel  occurs  in  scattered  areas  thruout  the 
terraces,  particularly  along  Rock  river  and  its  tributaries.  The  type  occupies 
a  total  of  8.69  square  miles.  Its  topography  is  undulating  and  the  drainage  is 
fairly  well  established,  altho  there  are  small  depressions  of  a  heavier  soil,  rather 
poorly  drained,  scattered  thruout  the  areas. 

The  Ai  horizon,  which  is  about  6  inches  in  thickness,  is  a  friable  brownish 
yellow  or  grayish  yellow  silt  loam.  The  Ag  horizon,  extending  to  a  depth  of 
about  18  inches,  is  a  friable,  mottled,  yellow  silt  loam.    The  B  horizon  in  its  upper 


Ogle  County  25 

18  inches  is  a  plastic,  compact,  slightly  mottled,  yellow  silty  clay  loam  which 
changes  to  a  plastic,  compact,  golden  yellow  silt  loam  at  about  42  inches.  This 
lower  stratum  rests  on  the  gravel  which  is  calcareous  and  well  stratified. 

Management. — The  management  requirements  of  this  type  are  the  same  as 
for  Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam,  Upland  (see  page  19). 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam'OverjGravel  (1567) 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  Over  Gravel  occurs  in  small  areas  thruout  the 
terraces  of  Rock  river  and  some  of  the  preglacial  stream  formations.  It  occupies 
a  total  area  of  only  2.19  square  miles.  It  is  undulating  in  topography.  Because 
of  the  closeness  of  the  gravel  beds  to  the  surface,  the  type  is  well  drained  and  yet 
at  the  same  time  it  is  not  drouthy. 

The  Aj^  horizon,  which  is  about  7  inches  thick,  varies  from  a  yellowish  brown 
to  a  grayish  yellow  sandy  loam.  The  Ag  horizon,  which  extends  to  a  depth  of 
about  15  inches,  is  a  slightly  mottled,  yellow  sandy  loam.  The  B  horizon  to  a 
depth  of  about  22  inches  is  a  fairly  compact,  yellow  sandy  clay  loam.  Below  22 
inches  it  is  a  yellow  sand  with  sand  and  gravel  beds  occurring  at  about  36  inches. 

Management. — This  type  should  be  managed  in  the  same  way  as  Yellow- 
Gray  Sandy  Loam,  Upland. 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  On  Gravel  (1564.4) 

Yellow-Gray  Sandy  Loam  On  Gravel  occupies  only  .46  of  a  square  mile. 
Nearly  all  of  the  areas  occur  along  Rock  river  and  in  the  pre-glacial  Leaf  river 
between  Rock  river  and  the  village  of  Stillman  Valley.  The  topography  is  undu- 
lating. Drainage  is  practically  all  vertical  thru  the  gravel  deposits.  The  gravel 
is  so  near  the  surface  that  the  growing  crops  are  affected  during  seasons  of  drouth. 

The  Aj  horizon,  which  is  approximately  4  inches  in  thickness  is  a  medium 
to  coarse-grained,  grayish  yellow  sandy  loam.  The  A^  horizon,  extending  to 
about  17  inches  in  depth,  is  a  mottled,  yellow  sandy  loam  or  yellow  sand.  The  B 
horizon  in  its  upper  7  inches  is  a  fairly  compact,  yellow  clayey  sand  which  rests 
on  gravelly  yellow  sand. 

Management. — The  management  of  this  type  is  about  the  same  as  for  Brown 
Sandy  Loam  On  Gravel  (1560.4).  Since  the  type  is  low  in  organic  matter  and 
nitrogen,  legumes  should  be  grown  wherever  it  is  possible  in  the  rotation.  An 
application  of  about  2  tons  of  limestone  an  acre  will  aid  the  growth  of  legumes. 

Dune  Sand  (1581) 

Sand  dunes  occur  in  scattered  areas  thruout  the  terraces  of  the  county 
associated  with  the  sandy  loam  types.  The  dune  formations  are  the  result  of 
wind  action  which  has  reworked  the  sand  and  deposited  it  in  ridges.  Near 
Oregon  some  of  the  sand  dunes  have  had  large  blowouts  formed  in  them.  Some 
of  the  low-lying  areas  of  sand  are  not  true  dune  formations.  This  type  in  the 
terrace  covers  1.07  square  miles,  or  .14  percent  of  the  area  of  the  county.  Drain- 
age is  rapid  because  of  seepage  thru  the  open  substrata,  often  causing  mucky  and 


26  Soil  Report  No.  38 

peaty  spots  adjacent  to  the  dunes.  However,  most  of  these  peaty  spots  are  too 
small  to  be  shown  on  the  map. 

The  Aj  horizon  varies  from  0  to  3  inches  in  thickness,  depending  on  the 
amount  of  organic  matter  that  has  accumulated.  It  varies  in  color  from  a  light 
brown  to  yellow  sand.  Below  this  horizon  the  material  is  uniformly  a  yellow 
sand  to  a  depth  of  4  feet  or  more. 

Management. — Most  of  the  Dune  Sand,  Terrace,  is  not  used  for  farming. 
Its  use  for  cropping  presents  peculiar  difficulties.  The  reader  is  referred  to  the 
discussion  of  Dune  Sand,  Upland,  page  18. 

Brown-Gray  Silt  Loam  On  Tight  Clay  (1528) 

Brown-Gray  Silt  Loam  On  Tight  Clay,  Terrace,  occupies  only  32  acres.  It 
is  flat  in  topography  and  is  poorly  drained,  owing  to  the  compact,  plastic  clay 
layer  which  is  almost  impervious  to  the  movement  of  water.  Suggestions  regard- 
ing its  management  may  be  secured  from  the  Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 

Brown-Gray  Sandy  Loam  On  Tight  Clay  (1568) 

Brown-Gray  Sandy  Loam  On  Tight  Clay  occupies  only  about  32  acres.  It 
occurs  in  Section  13,  ToAvnship  22  North,  Range  11  East.  It  is  poorly  drained 
owing  to  the  compact  subsoil  and  the  seepage  water  which  it  receives.  Most  of 
this  type  is  left  in  pasture. 

(d)  RESIDUAL  SOILS 

Residual  soils  are  formed  from  the  residue  left  in  place  from  the  weathering 
of  the  rock  and  by  the  accumulation  of  organic  matter.  Most  of  the  residual 
soil  areas  are  located  along  the  present  valley  of  Rock  river  and  some  of  the  pre- 
glacial  valleys  of  small  streams,  where  the  former  streams,  as  well  as  erosion, 
have  swept  all  the  glacial  material  from  the  rock  and  left  it  exposed. 

Sand  (083) 

Residual  Sand  occurs  along  Rock  river  from  Oregon  to  Grand  Detour.  Very 
few  areas  of  this  type  occur  at  any  great  distance  from  Rock  River.  Along  the 
north  shore  of  the  preglacial  Kyte  creek  and  north  of  Brookville  some  outcrops 
of  sandstone  occur.  The  topography  of  the  type  is  rough  to  broken.  It  is  non- 
agricultural  except  for  some  pasture.  Some  of  the  sand  is  being  quarried  for 
use  in  glass  manufacturing.  A  characteristic  of  the  sandstone  bedrock  is  that 
it  weathers  and  crumbles  readily  when  exposed.  The  residual  sand  is  gray  or 
white,  except  where  organic  matter  from  the  rotting  leaf  mold  is  incorporated 
in  the  upper  part,  forming  a  brown  color  to  a  depth  of  1  or  2  inches.  The  type 
occupies  about  3  square  miles  of  the  county. 

Management. — Pasture  and  permanent  forestry  are  apparently  the  only  ways 
in  which  this  type  can  be  utilized  other  than  as  a  source  for  sand  for  industrial 
uses. 

Stony  Loam,  Limestone  (098) 

Stony  Loam,  Limestone,  occurs  principally  on  the  eroded  slopes  which  are 
underlain  with  limestone  near  the  surface.    The  stones  vary  in  size  from  gravel 


Ogle  County  27 

to  6  or  8  inches  in  diameter.  They  are  mixed  with  some  soil  material  which  may 
be  either  silty  or  sandy.  The  type  occupies  3.62  square  miles,  or  .47  percent  of 
the  area  of  the  county.  The  only  agricultural  value  of  the  type  is  for  pasture 
and  timber  land. 

Stony  Loam,  Sandstone  (098) 

Stony  Loam,  Sandstone,  occurs  in  the  region  of  the  St.  Peter's  sandstone  on 
the  eroded  slopes  where  the  weathering  processes  have  disintegrated  the  sand- 
stone to  form  broken  pieces  varying  in  diameter  from  2  to  10  or  12  inches,  mixed 
with  sand.     The  type  is  of  no  agricultural  value,  even  for  pasturing  purposes. 

Limestone  Outcrop  (099) 

Limestone  Outcrop,  which  occupies  altogether  198  acres,  is  found  along 
Rock  river  and  some  of  the  small  streams.  The  rock  exposures  vary  in  height 
from  20  to  125  or  150  feet.  It  is  non-agricultural,  aside  from  its  value  as  a 
source  of  crushed  limestone.  In  some  localities,  beyond  hauling  distance  from 
shipping  points,  portable  limestone  crushers  have  been  set  up,  thus  furnishing 
neighboring  farmers  with  ground  limestone  for  agricultural  use.  There  are 
numerous  local  quarry  sites  well  distributed  over  the  county. 

Sandstone  Outcrop  (099) 

Sandstone  as  an  outcrop  occupies  only  51  acres.  It  is  non-agricultural  in 
value.    The  only  interest  in  these  areas  lies  in  their  scenic  beauty. 

(e)  LATE  SWAMP  AND  BOTTOM-LAND  SOILS 

This  group  includes  the  bottom  lands  along  streams,  the  swamps,  and  the 
poorly  drained  lowlands.  Much  of  the  soil,  therefore,  is  of  alluvial  formation 
and  is  largely  subject  to  overflow.  Overflow  occurs,  however,  only  during  periods 
of  excessive  rains,  and  soon  subsides. 

The  swamps  occupy  the  low  marshy  areas  in  the  preglacial  Rock  river  ter- 
race and  some  of  the  preglacial  valleys  formed  by  its  tributaries.  They  also 
occupy  the  depressions  in  the  upland  that  are  often  the  sources  of  intermittent 
streams. 

This  group  includes  only  three  soil  types  which  occupy  a  total  area  of  64.52 
square  miles,  or  8.56  percent  of  the  area  of  the  county. 

Black  Mixed  Loam  (1450) 

Black  Mixed  Loam  occupies  21.06  square  miles,  or  2.80  percent  of  the  area 
of  the  county.  The  largest  areas  are  located  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county 
in  what  is  known  as  the  preglacial  Rock  river  terrace.  The  other  areas  are  scat- 
tered thruout  the  upland,  usually  occurring  as  depressions  in  the  undulating  or 
rolling  upland  in  which  many  of  the  small,  intermittent  streams  find  their  sources. 
Much  seepage  and  drainage  water  reaches  these  areas,  thus  providing  optimum 
conditions  for  the  accumulation  of  organic  matter.  Usually,  the  streams  which 
flow  thru  these  areas  have  no  well-defined  channels  and  remain  sluggish  thru 
lack  of  sufficient  fall.    However,  in  the  larger  areas,  drainage  is  better  established 


28  Soil  Report  No.  38 

thru  the  construction  of  dredges  and  the  installation  of  tile.  As  the  name  indi- 
cates, Black  Mixed  Loam  is  black  in  color,  and  is  made  up  of  a  number  of  types 
which  would  be  shown  on  the  map  if  they  occurred  in  larger  areas. 

The  Aj  horizon  varies  from  a  peaty  loam  or  muck  to  a  silt  or  sandy  loam, 
brown  to  black  in  color.  This  horizon  is  rich  in  nitrogen  and  organic  matter. 
The  A2  horizon  is  usually  a  black  clay  loam.  The  B  horizon  is  a  fairly  compact, 
plastic  but  pervious  drab  clay  loam,  which  has  some  streaks  of  yellow  at  a  depth 
of  36  to  40  inches. 

Management. — The  first  important  factor  in  management  of  this  type  is 
good  drainage,  which  is  frequently  difficult  to  obtain  because  of  the  lack  of  an 
outlet.  The  soil  is  very  productive,  tho  it  is  alkaline  in  some  spots.  Good  drain- 
age and  the  application  of  potash  salts,  manure,  and  straw  will  counteract  the 
ill  effects  of  the  alkali.  The  installation  of  drainage  has  opened  up  many  areas 
of  this  type  for  cultivation  which  were,  until  recently,  used  only  for  pasture. 

Mixed  Loam  (1454) 

Mixed  Loam  occurs  as  bottom  land  along  Rock  river  as  well  as  the  small 
streams  thruout  the  county.  It  usually  takes  the  form  of  narrow  strips  rarely 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  width.  The  type  occupies  43.08  square  miles, 
or  5.71  percent  of  the  area  of  the  county.  As  the  name  indicates,  this  type  is 
made  up  of  a  number  of  types,  the  areas  of  which  are  too  small  to  be  shown  on 
the  map.  In  texture  it  may  be  a  silt  loam,  sandy  loam,  loam,  or  sand.  In  color 
it  varies  from  a  grayish  yellow  or  yellow  to  a  brown  or  black.  Even  if  it  were 
possible  to  indicate  these  different  variations  on  the  map,  the  first  flood  would 
probably  leave  a  different  mixture  of  soil  material.  For  this  reason  it  is  im- 
possible to  write  a  detailed  description  which  will  apply  to  the  type  as  a  whole. 

Management. — Practically  all  of  this  type  is  subject  to  overflow.  The  sedi- 
ment deposited  at  each  flood  maintains  a  good  supply  of  the  elements  of  plant 
food.  Since  there  is  danger  of  this  type  being  flooded  at  any  time,  the  general 
practice  is  to  keep  it  in  pasture  instead  of  growing  cultivated  crops  on  it. 

Deep  Peat  (1401) 

Deep  Peat  occupies  only  .38  of  a  square  mile  in  Ogle  county.  The  deposits 
occur  in  scattered  areas,  none  of  which  are  large  and  most  of  which  are  poorly 
drained. 

To  a  depth  of  about  8  inches  the  type  is  a  well-decomposed  peat  with  its 
fibrous  structure  destroyed.  Below  this  depth  some  fibrous  material  occurs.  The 
proportion  of  fibrous  material  increases  with  increasing  depth  until  the  plastic, 
fairly  compact,  drab  to  black  clay  loam,  which  underlies  the  peat  at  a  depth  of 
about  40  inches,  is  reached. 

Management. — Very  little  effort  has  been  made  to  farm  the  peat  deposits  in 
Ogle  county  because  they  are  swampy  and  difficult  to  drain.  The  peat  bogs  in 
the  pastures  have  many  hummocks  varying  from  4  to  12  inches  or  more  in  height. 
Some  areas  have  been  put  under  cultivation,  and,  with  an  application  of  potas- 
sium salts,  produce  fair  yields. 


APPENDIX 

EXPLANATIONS  FOR  INTERPRETING  THE  SOIL  SURVEY 

CLASSIFICATION  OF  SOILS 

In  order  to  interpret  the  soil  map  intelligently,  the  reader  must  understand 
something  of  the  method  of  soil  classification  upon  which  the  survey  is  based. 
Without  going  far  into  details  the  following  paragraphs  are  intended  to  furnish 
a  brief  explanation  of  the  general  plan  of  classification  used. 

The  soil  type  is  the  unit  of  classification.  Each  type  has  definite  charac- 
teristics upon  which  its  separation  from  other  types  is  based.  These  character- 
istics are  inherent  in  the  strata,  or  "horizons,"  which  constitute  the  soil  profile 
in  all  mature  soils.  Among  them  may  be  mentioned  color,  structure,  texture, 
and  chemical  composition.  Other  items,  such  as  native  vegetation  (whether 
timber  or  prairie),  topography,  and  geological  origin  and  formation,  may  assist 
in  the  differentiation  of  types,  altho  they  are  not  fundamental  to  it. 

Since  some  of  the  terms  used  in  designating  the  factors  which  are  taken 
into  account  in  establishing  soil  types  are  technical  in  nature,  the  following  defi- 
nitions are  introduced : 

Horizon.  A  layer  or  stratum  of  soil  which  differs  discernibly  from  those  adjacent  in 
color,  texture,  structure,  chemical  composition,  or  a  combination  of  these  characteristics,  is 
called  an  horizon.  In  describing  a  matured  soil,  three  horizons  designated  as  A,  B,  and  C 
are  usually  considered. 

A  designates  the  upper  horizon  and,  as  developed  under  the  conditions  of  a  humid,  tem- 
perate climate,  represents  the  layer  of  extraction  or  eluviation ;  that  is  to  say,  material  in 
solution  or  in  suspension  has  passed  out  of  this  zone  thru  the  processes  of  weathering. 

B  represents  the  layer  of  concentration  or  illuviation ;  that  is,  the  layer  developed  as  a 
result  of  the  accumulation  of  material  thru  the  downward  movement  of  water  from  the  A 
horizon. 

C  designates  the  layer  lying  below  the  B  horizon  and  in  which  the  material  has  been  less 
affected  by  the  weathering  processes. 

Frequently  differences  within  a  stratum  or  zone  are  discernible,  in  which  case  it  is 
subdivided  and  described  under  such  designations  as  A,  and  A3,  Bj  and  Bj,  etc. 

Soil  Profile.     The  soil  section  as  a  whole  is  spoken  of  as  the  soil  profile. 

Depth  and  Thickness.  The  horizons  or  layers  which  make  up  the  soil  profile  vary  in 
depth  and  thickness.  These  variations  are  distinguishing  features  in  the  separation  of  soils 
into  types. 

Physical  Composition.  The  physical  composition,  sometimes  referred  to  as  "texture," 
is  a  most  important  feature  in  characterizing  a  soil.  The  texture  depends  upon  the  rela- 
tive proportions  of  the  following  physical  constituents:  clay,  silt,  fine  sand,  sand,  gravel, 
stones,  and  organic  material. 

Structure.  The  term  "structure"  has  reference  to  the  aggregation  of  particles  within 
the  soil  mass  and  carries  such  qualifying  terms  as  open,  granular,  compact,  columnar, 
laminated. 

Organic-Matter  Content.  The  organic  matter  of  soil  is  derived  largely  from  plant 
tissue  and  it  exists  in  a  more  or  less  advanced  stage  of  decomposition.  Organic  matter 
forms  the  predominating  constituent  in  certain  soils  of  swampy  formation. 

Color.  Color  is  determined  to  a  large  extent  by  the  proportion  of  organic  matter,  but 
at  the  same  time  it  is  modified  by  the  mineral  constituents,  especially  by  iron  compounds. 

Reaction.  The  term  "reaction"  refers  to  the  chemical  state  of  the  soil  with  respect 
to  acid  or  alkaline  condition.  It  also  involves  the  idea  of  degree,  as  strongly  acid  or 
strongly  alkaline. 

Carbonate  Content.  The  carbonate  content  has  reference  to  the  calcium  carbonate 
(limestone)  present,  which  in  some  cases  may  be  associated  with  magnesium  or  other  car- 
bonates. The  depth  at  which  carbonates  are  found  may  become  a  very  important  factor 
in  determining  the  soil  type. 

Topography.     Topography  has  reference  to  the  lay  of  the  land,  as  level,  rolling,  hilly,  etc. 

29 


30  Soil  Keport  No.  38:    Appendix 

Native  Vegetation.  The  vegetation  or  plant  growth  before  being  disturbed  by  man, 
as  prairie  grasses  and  forest  trees,  is  a  feature  frequently  recognized  in  differentiating  soil 
types. 

Geological  Origin.  Geological  origin  involves  the  idea  of  character  of  rock  materials 
composing  the  soil  as  well  as  the  method  of  formation  of  the  soil  material. 

Not  infrequently  areas  are  encountered  in  which  type  characters  are  not 
distinctly  developed  or  in  which  they  show  considerable  variation.  When  these 
variations  are  considered  to  have  sufficient  significance,  type  separations  are 
made  whenever  the  areas  involved  are  sufficiently  large.  Because  of  the  almost 
infinite  variability  occurring  in  soils,  one  of  the  exacting  tasks  of  tlie  soil  sur- 
veyor is  to  determine  the  degree  of  variation  which  is  allowable  for  any  given 
type. 

Classifying  Soil  Types.— In  the  system  of  classification  used,  the  types  fall 
first  into  four  general  groups  based  upon  their  geological  relationships ;  namely, 
upland,  terrace,  swamp  and  bottom  land,  and  residual.  These  groups  may  be 
subdivided  into  prairie  soils  and  timber  soils,  altho  as  a  matter  of  fact  this  sub- 
division is  applied  in  the  main  only  to  the  upland  group.  These  terms  are  all 
explained  in  the  foregoing  part  of  this  Report  in  connection  with  the  description 
of  the  particular  soil  types. 

Naming  and  Numbering  Soil  Types. — In  the  Illinois  soil  survey  a  system 
of  nomenclature  is  used  which  is  intended  to  make  the  type  name  convey  some 
idea  of  the  nature  of  the  soil.  Thus  the  name  "Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam"  car- 
ries in  itself  a  more  or  less  definite  description  of  the  type.  It  should  not  be 
assumed,  however,  that  this  system  of  nomenclature  makes  it  possible  to  devise 
type  names  which  are  adequately  descriptive,  because  the  profile  of  mature  soils 
is  usually  made  up  of  three  or  more  horizons  and  it  is  impossible  to  describe  each 
horizon  in  the  type  name.  The  color  and  texture  of  the  surface  soil  are  usually 
included  in  the  type  name  and  when  material  such  as  sand,  gravel,  or  rock  lies 
at  a  depth  of  less  than  30  inches,  the  fact  is  indicated  by  the  word  ' '  On, ' '  and  when 
its  depth  exceeds  30  inches,  by  the  word  "Over";  for  example,  Brown  Silt  Loam 
On  Gravel,  and  Brown  Silt  Loam  Over  Gravel. 

As  a  further  step  in  systematizing  the  listing  of  the  soils  of  Illinois,  recog- 
nition is  given  to  the  location  of  the  types  with  respect  to  the  geological  areas 
in  which  they  occur.  According  to  a  geological  survey  made  many  years  ago, 
the  state  has  been  divided  into  seventeen  areas  with  respect  to  geological  forma- 
tion and,  for  the  purposes  of  the  soil  survey,  each  of  these  areas  has  been  assigned 
an  index  number.  The  names  of  the  areas  together  with  their  general  location 
and  their  corresponding  index  numbers  are  given  in  the  following  list. 

000     Eesidual,  soils  formed  in  place  thru  disintegration  of  rocks,  and  also  rock  outcrop 
100     Unglaciated,  including  three  areas,  the  largest  being  in  the  south  end  of  the  state 
200     Illinoisan  moraines,  including  the  moraines  of  the  Illinoisan  glaciations 
300     Lower  Illinoisan  glaciation,  formerly  considered  as  covering  nearly  the  south  third  of  the 

state 
400     Middle  Illinoisan  glaciation,  covering  about  a  dozen  counties  in  the  west-central  part 

of  the  state 
500     Upper  Illinoisan  glaciation,  covering  about  fourteen  counties  northwest  of  the  middle 

Illinoisan  glaciation 
600     Pre-Iowan  glaciation,  now  believed  to  be  part  of  the  upper  Illinoisan 
700     lowan  glaciation,  lying  in  the  central  northern  end  of  the  state 


Ogle  County  31 

800     Peep  loess  areas,  including  a  zone  a  few  miles  wide  along  the  Wabash,  Illinois,  and 

Mississippi  rivers 
900     Early  Wisconsin  moraines,  includingj;he  moraines  of  the  early  Wisconsin  glaciation 
1000     Late  Wisconsin  moraines,  including  the  moraines  of  the  late  Wisconsin  glaciation 
1100     Early  Wisconsin  glaciation,  covering  the  greater  part  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  the 

state 
1200     Late  Wisconsin  glaciation,  lying  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  state 
1300     Old  river-bottom  and  swamp  lands,  formed  by  material  derived  from  the  Illinoisan  or 

older  glaciations 
1400     Late  river-bottom  and  swamp  lands,  formed  by  material  derived  from  the  Wisconsin  and 

lowan  glaciations 
1500     Terraces,  bench  or  second  bottom  lands,  and  gravel  outwash  plains 
1600    Lacustrine  deposits,  formed  by  Lake  Chicago,  the  enlarged  Glacial  Lake  Michigan 

Further  information  regarding  these  geological  areas  is  given  in  connection 
with  the  general  map  mentioned  above  and  published  in  Bulletin  123  (1908). 

Another  set  of  index  numbers  is  assigned  to  the  classes  of  soils  as  based 

upon  physical  composition.    The  following  list  contains  the  names  of  these  classes 

with  their  corresponding  index  numbers. 

Index  Number  Limits  Class  Names 

0  to     9 Peats 

10  to  12 Peaty  loams 

13  to  14 Mucks 

15  to  19 Clays 

20  to  24 Clay  loams 

25  to  49 Silt  loams 

50  to  59 ... ! Loams 

60  to  79 Sandy  loams 

80  to  89 Sands 

90  to  94 Gravelly  loams 

95  to  97 Gravels 

98  Stony  loams 

99  Rock  outcrop 

As  a  convenient  means  of  designating  types  and  their  location  with  respect 
to  the  geological  areas  of  the  state,  each  type  is  given  a  number  made  up  of  a 
combination  of  the  index  numbers  explained  above.  This  number  indicates  the 
type  and  the  geological  area  in  which  it  occurs.  The  geological  area  is  always 
indicated  by  the  digits  of  the  order  of  hundreds  while  the  balance  of  the  number 
designates  the  type.  To  illustrate:  the  number  1126  means  Brown  Silt  Loam 
in  the  early  Wisconsin  glaciation,  434  means  Yellow-Gray  Silt  Loam  of  the  mid- 
dle Illinoisan  glaciation.  These  numbers  are  especially  useful  in  designating 
very  small  areas  on  the  map  and  as  a  check  in  reading  the  colors. 

A  complete  list  of  the  soil  types  occurring  in  each  county,  along  with  their 
corresponding  type  numbers  and  the  area  covered  by  each  type,  will  be  found 
in  the  respective  county  soil  reports  in  connection  with  the  maps. 

SOIL  SURVEY  METHODS 

Mapping  of  Soil  Types. — In  conducting  the  soil  survey,  the  county  consti- 
tutes the  unit  of  working  area.  The  field  work  is  done  by  parties  of  two  to  four 
men  each.  The  field  season  extends  from  early  in  April  to  Thanksgiving.  Dur- 
ing the  winter  months  the  men  are  engaged  in  preparing  a  copy  of  the  soil  map 
to  be  sent  to  the  lithographer,  a  copy  for  the  use  of  the  county  farm  adviser  until 
the  printed  map  is  available,  and  a  third  copy  for  use  in  the  office  in  order  to 
preserve  the  original  official  map  in  good  condition. 


32  Soil  Report  No.  38:    Appendix 

An  accurate  base  map  for  field  use  is  necessary  for  soil  mapping.  These 
maps  are  prepared  on  a  scale  of  one  inch  to  the  mile,  the  official  data  of  the 
original  or  subsequent  land  survey  being  used  as  the  basis  in  their  construction. 
Each  surveyor  is  provided  with  one  of  these  base  maiDS,  which  he  carries  with 
him  in  the  field ;  and  the  soil  type  boundaries,  together  with  the  streams,  roads, 
railroads,  canals,  town  sites,  and  rock  and  gravel  quarries  are  placed  in  their 
proper  location  upon  the  map  while  the  mapper  is  on  the  area.  With  the  rapid 
development  of  road  improvement  during  the  past  few  years,  it  is  almost  in- 
evitable that  some  recently  established  roads  will  not  appear  on  the  published 
soil  map.  Similarly,  changes  in  other  artificial  features  will  occasionally  occur 
in  the  interim  between  the  preparation  of  the  map  and  its  publication.  The 
detail  or  minimum  size  of  areas  which  are  shown  on  the  map  varies  somewhat, 
but  in  general  a  soil  type  if  less  than  five  acres  in  extent  is  not  shown. 

A  soil  auger  is  carried  by  each  man  with  which  he  can  examine  the  soil  to 
a  depth  of  40  inches.  An  extension  for  making  the  auger  80  inches  long  is  taken 
by  each  party,  so  that  the  deeper  subsoil  may  be  studied.  Each  man  carries  a 
compass  to  aid  in  keeping  directions.  Distances  along  roads  are  measured  by 
a  speedometer  or  other  measuring  device,  while  distances  in  the  field  away  from 
the  roads  are  measured  by  pacing. 

Sampling  for  Analysis. — After  all  the  soil  types  of  a  county  have  been 
located  and  mapped,  samples  representative  of  the  different  types  are  collected 
for  chemical  analysis.  The  samples  for  this  purpose  are  usually  taken  in  three 
depths ;  namely,  0  to  6%  inches,  6%  to  20  inches,  and  20  to  40  inches,  as  explained 
in  connection  with  the  discussion  of  the  analytical  data  beginning  on  page  7. 

PRINCIPLES  OF  SOIL  FERTILITY 

Probably  no  agricultural  fact  is  more  generally  known  by  farmers  and  land- 
owners than  that  soils  differ  in  productive  power.  A  fact  of  equal  importance, 
not  so  generally  recognized,  is  that  they  also  differ  in  other  characteristics  such 
as  response  to  fertilizer  treatment  and  to  management. 

The  soil  is  a  dynamic,  ever-changing,  exceedingly  complex  substance  made 
up  of  organic  and  inorganic  materials  and  teeming  with  life  in  the  form  of 
microorganisms.  Because  of  these  characteristics,  the  soil  cannot  be  considered 
as  a  reservoir  into  which  a  given  quantity  of  an  element  or  elements  of  plant 
food  can  be  poured  with  the  assurance  that  it  will  respond  with  a  given  increase 
in  crop  yield.  In  a  similar  manner  it  cannot  be  expected  to  respond  with  per- 
fect uniformity  to  a  given  set  of  management  standards.  To  be  productive  a  soil 
must  be  in  such  condition  physically  with  respect  to  structure  and  moisture  as 
to  encourage  root  development ;  and  in  such  condition  chemically  that  injurious 
substances  are  not  present  in  harmful  amounts,  that  a  sufficient  supply  of  the 
elements  of  plant  food  become  available  or  usable  during  the  growing  season, 
and  that  lime  materials  are  present  in  sufficient  abundance  favorable  for  the 
growth  of  the  higher  plants  and  of  the  beneficial  microorganisms.  Good  soil 
management  under  humid  conditions  involves  the  adoption  of  those  tillage,  crop- 


Ogle  County 


33 


ping,  and  fertilizer  treatment  methods  which  will  result  in  profitable  and  per- 
manent crop  production  on  the  soil  type  concerned. 

The  following  paragraphs  are  intended  to  state  in  a  brief  way  some  of  the 
principles  of  soil  management  and  treatment  which  are  fundamental  to  profitable 
and  continued  productivity. 

CROP  REQUIREMENTS  WITH  RESPECT  TO  PLANT-FOOD  MATERIALS 
Ten  of  the  chemical  elements  are  known  to  be  essential  for  the  growth  of 
the  higher  plants.  These  are  carbon,  hydrogen,  oxygen,  nitrogen,  phospJwrus, 
sulfur,  potassium,  calcium,  magnesium,  and  iron.  Other  elements  are  absorbed 
from  the  soil  by  growing  plants,  including  manganese,  silicon,  sodium,  aluminum, 
chlorin,  and  boron.  It  is  probable  that  these  latter  elements  are  present  in 
plants  for  the  most  part,  not  because  they  are  required,  but  because  they  are 
dissolved  in  the  soil  water  and  the  plant  has  no  means  of  preventing  their 
entrance.  There  is  some  evidence,  however,  which  indicates  that  certain  of  these 
elements,  notably  manganese,  silicon,  and  boron,  may  be  either  essential  but 
required  in  only  minute  quantities,  or  very  beneficial  to  plant  growth  under 
certain  conditions,  even  tho  not  essential.  Thus,  for  example,  manganese  has 
produced  marked  increases  in  crop  yields  on  heavily  limed  soils.  Sodium  also 
has  been  found  capable  of  partially  replacing  potassium  in  case  of  a  shortage 
of  the  latter  element. 

Table  5  shows  the  requirements  of  some  of  our  most  common  field  crops 
with  respect  to  seven  important  plant-food  elements  furnished  by  the  soil.  The 
figures  show  the  weight  in  pounds  of  the  various  elements  contained  in  a  bushel 
or  in  a  ton,  as  the  case  may  be.  From  these  data  the  amount  of  an  element  re- 
moved from  an  acre  of  land  by  a  crop  of  a  given  yield  can  easily  be  computed. 


Table  5. — Plant-Food  Elements  in  Common  Farm  Crops' 


Produce 

Nitrogen 

Phos- 
phorus 

Sulfur 

Potas- 
sium 

Magne- 
sium 

Calcium 

Trnn 

Kind 

Amount 

Wheat,  grain.. 
Wheat  straw.  . 

Corn,  grain .  .  . 
Corn  stover. .  . 
Corn  cobs.  .  .  . 

Oats,  grain 

Oats  straw. . . . 

Clover  seed . . . 
Clover  hay .  .  . 

Soybean  seed  . 
Soybean  hay.  . 

Alfalfa  hay .  .  . 

Ibu. 
1  ton 

1  bu. 
1  ton 
1  ton 

1  bu. 
1  ton 

1  bu. 
1  ton 

Ibu. 
1  ton 

1  ton 

lbs. 

1.42 

10.00 

1.00 

16.00 

4.00 

.66 
12.40 

1.75 
40.00 

3.22 
43.40 

52.08 

lbs. 

.24 
1.60 

.17 
2.00 

.11 
.     2.00 

.50 
5.00 

.39 
4.74 

4.76 

lbs. 

.10 
2.80 

.08 
2.42 

.06 
4.14 

'3;28 

.27. 
5.18 

5.96 

lbs. 
.26 
18.00 

.19 

17.33 

4.00 

.16 
20.80 

.75 
30.00 

1.26 
35.48 

16.64 

lbs. 

.08 
1.60 

.07 
3.33 

.04 
2.80 

.25 
7.75 

.15 
13.84 

8.00 

lbs. 

.02 
3.80 

.01 
7.00 

.02 
6.00 

.13 

29.25 

.14 
27.56 

22.26 

lbs. 
.01 
.60 

.01 
1.60 

.01 
1.12 

'i'66 

'These  data  are  brought  together  from  various  sources.  Some  allowance  must  be  made  for  the  exactness  of  the 
figures  because  samples  representing  the  same  kind  of  crop  or  the  same  kind  of  material  frequently  exhibit  consid- 
erable variation. 


34 


Soil  Report  No.  38:    Appendix 


PLANT-FOOD  SUPPLY 

Of  the  elements  of  plant  food,  three  (carbon,  oxygen,  and  hydrogen)  are 
secured  from  air  and  water,  and  the  others  from  the  soil.  Nitrogen,  one  of  the 
elements  obtained  from  the  soil  by  all  plants,  may  also  be  secured  from  the  air 
by  the  class  of  plants  known  as  legumes,  in  case  the  amount  liberated  from  the 
soil  is  insufficient ;  but  even  these  plants,  which  include  only  the  clovers,  peas, 
beans,  and  vetches  among  our  common  agricultural  plants,  are  dependent  upon 
the  soil  for  the  other  six  elements  (phosphorus,  potassium,  magnesium,  calcium, 
iron,  and  sulfur),  and  they  also  utilize  the  soil  nitrogen  so  far  as  it  becomes 
soluble  and  available  dtTring  their  period  of  growth. 

The  vast  difference  with  respect  to  the  supply  of  these  essential  plant-food 
elements  in  different  soils  is  well  brought  out  in  the  data  of  the  Illinois  soil 
survey.  For  example,  it  has  been  found  that  the  nitrogen  in  the  surface  6% 
inches,  which  represents  the  plowed  stratum,  varies  in  amount  from  180  pounds 
per  acre  to  more  than  35,000  pounds.  In  like  manner  the  phosphorus  content 
varies  from  about  320  to  4,900  pounds,  and  the  potassium  ranges  from  1,530  to 
about  58,000  pounds.  Similar  variations  are  found  in  all  of  the  other  essential 
plant-food  elements  of  the  soil. 

"With  these  facts  in  mind  it  is  easy  to  understand  how  a  deficiency  of  one 
of  these  elements  of  plant  food  may  become  a  limiting  factor  of  crop  production. 
When  an  element  becomes  so  reduced  in  quantity  as  to  become  a  limiting  factor 
of  production,  then  we  must  look  for  some  outside  source  of  supply.     Table  6 


Table  6. — Plant-Food  Elements  in  Manure,  Rough  Feeds,  and  Fertilizers^ 

Material 

Pounds  of  plant  food 
of  material 

per  ton 

Nitrogen 

Phosphorus 

Potassium 

Fresh  farm  manure 

10 

16 
12 
10 

40 
43 
50 
80 

280 
310 
400 

80 
20 

2 

2 
2 
2 

5 

5 
4 
8 

180 
250 
250 
125 

"lo" 

8 

Corn  stover 

17 

Oat  straw 

21 

Wheat  straw 

18 

Clover  hay 

30 

Cowpea  hay 

33 

Alfalfa  hay 

24 

Sweet  clover  (water-free  basis)' 

28 

Dried  blood 

Sodium  nitrate 

Ammonium  sulfate 

Raw  bone  meal 

Steamed  bone  meal 

Raw  rock  phosphate 

Acid  phosphate 

Potassium  chlorid 

850 

Potassium  sulfate 

850 

Kainit 

200 

Wood  ashes'  (unleached) 

100 

'See  footnote  to  Table  5. 

Young  second-year  growth  ready  to  plow  under  as  green  manure. 
*Wood  ashes  also  contain  about  1,000  pounds  of  lime  (calcium  carbonate)  per  ton. 


Ogle  County  35 

is  presented  for  the  purpose  of  furnishing  information  regarding  the  quantity 
of  some  of  the  more  important  plant-food  elements  contained  in  materials  most 
commonly  used  as  sources  of  supply. 

LIBERATION  OF  PLANT  FOOD 

The  chemical  analysis  of  the  soil  gives  the  invoice  of  plant-food  elements 
actually  present  in  the  soil  strata  sampled  and  analyzed,  but  the  rate  of  libera- 
tion is  governed  by  many  factors,  some  of  which  may  be  controlled  by  the  farmer, 
while  others  are  largely  beyond  his  control.  Chief  among  the  important  con- 
trollable factors  which  influence  the  liberation  of  plant  food  are  the  choice  of 
crops  to  be  grown,  the  use  of  limestone,  and  the  incorporation  of  organic  matter. 
Tillage,  especially  plowing,  also  has  a  considerable  effect  in  this  connection. 

Feeding  Power  of  Plants. — Different  species  of  plants  exhibit  a  very  great 
diversity  in  their  ability  to  obtain  plant  food  directly  from  the  insoluble  minerals 
of  the  soil.  As  a  class,  the  legumes — especially  such  biennial  and  perennial 
legumes  as  red  clover,  sweet  clover,  and  alfalfa — are  endowed  with  unusual 
power  to  assimilate  from  mineral  sources  such  elements  as  calcium  and  phos- 
phorus, converting  them  into  available  forms  for  the  crops  that  follow.  For  this 
reason  it  is  especially  advantageous  to  employ  such  leg-umes  in  connection  with 
the  application  of  limestone  and  rock  phosphate.  Thru  their  growth  and  subse- 
quent decay  large  quantities  of  the  mineral  elements  are  liberated  for  the  benefit 
of  the  cereal  crops  which  follow  in  the  rotation.  Moreover,  as  an  effect  of  the 
deep-rooting  habit  of  these  legumes,  mineral  plant-food  elements  are  brought  up 
and  rendered  available  from  the  vast  reservoirs  of  the  lower  subsoil. 

Effect  of  Limestone. — Limestone  corrects  the  acidity  of  the  soil  and  supplies 
calcium,  thus  encouraging  the  development  not  only  of  the  nitrogen-gathering 
bacteria  which  live  in  the  nodules  on  the  roots  of  clover,  cowpeas,  and  other 
legumes,  but  also  the  nitrifying  bacteria,  which  have  power  to  transform  the 
unavailable  organic  nitrogen  into  available  nitrate  nitrogen.  At  the  same  time, 
the  products  of  this  decomposition  have  power  to  dissolve  the  minerals  contained 
in  the  soil,  such  as  potassium  and  magnesium  compounds. 

Organic  Matter  and  Biological  Action. — Organic  matter  may  be  supplied 
thru  animal  manures,  consisting  of  the  excreta  of  animals  and  usually  accom- 
panied by  more  or  less  stable  litter;  and  by  plant  manures,  including  green- 
manure  crops  and  cover  crops  plowed  under,  and  also  crop  residues  such  as  stalks, 
straw,  and  chaff.  The  rate  of  decay  of  organic  matter  depends  largely  upon  its 
age,  condition,  and  origin,  and  it  may  be  hastened  by  tillage.  The  chemical 
analysis  shows  correctly  the  total  organic  carbon,  which  constitutes,  as  a  rule, 
but  little  more  than  half  the  organic  matter;  so  that  20,000  pounds  of  organic 
carbon  in  the  plowed  soil  of  an  acre  corresponds  to  nearly  20  tons  of  organic 
matter.  But  this  organic  matter  consists  largely  of  the  old  organic  residues  that 
have  accumulated  during  the  past  centuries  becaase  they  were  resistant  to  decay, 
and  2  tons  of  clover  or  cowpeas  plowed  under  may  have  greater  power  to  liberate 
plant-food  materials  than  20  tons  of  old,  inactive  organic  matter.  The  history  of 
the  individual  farm  or  field  must  be  depended  upon  for  information  concerning 


36  Soil  Report  No.  38:    Appendix 

recent  additions  of  active  organic  matter,  whether  in  applications  of  farm 
manure,  in  legume  crops,  or  in  sods  of  old  pastures. 

The  condition  of  the  organic  matter  of  the  soil  is  indicated  to  some  extent 
by  the  ratio  of  carbon  to  nitrogen.  Fresh  organic  matter  recently  incorporated 
with  the  soil  contains  a  very  much  higher  proportion  of  carbon  to  nitrogen  than 
do  the  old  resistant  organic  residues  of  the  soil.  The  proportion  of  carbon  to 
nitrogen  is  higher  in  the  surface  soil  than  in  the  corresponding  subsoil,  and  in 
general  this  ratio  is  wider  in  highly  productive  soils  well  charged  with  active 
organic  matter  than  in  very  old,  worn  soils  badly  in  need  of  active  organic  matter. 

The  organic  matter  furnishes  food  for  bacteria,  and  as  it  decays  certain 
decomposition  products  are  formed,  including  much  carbonic  acid,  some  nitrous 
acid,  and  various  organic  acids,  and  these  acting  upon  the  soil  have  the  power  to 
dissolve  the  essential  mineral  plant  foods,  thus  furnishing  available  phosphates, 
nitrates,  and  other  salts  of  potassium,  magnesium,  calcium,  etc.,  for  the  use  of 
the  growing  crop.  \ 

Effect  of  Tillage. — Tillage,  or  cultivation,  also  hastens  the  liberation  of  plant- 
food  elements  by  permitting  the  air  to  enter  the  soil.  It  should  be  remembered, 
however,  that  tillage  is  wholly  destructive,  in  that  it  adds  nothing  whatever  to 
the  soil,  but  always  leaves  it  poorer,  so  far  as  plant-food  materials  are  concerned. 
Tillage  should  be  practiced  so  far  as  is  necessary  to  prepare  a  suitable  seed  bed 
for  root  development  and  also  for  the  purpose  of  killing  weeds,  but  more  than 
this  is  unnecessary  and  unprofitable;  and  it  is  much  better  actually  to  enrich 
the  soil  by  proper  applications  of  limestone,  organic  matter,  and  other  fertilizing 
materials,  and  thus  promote  soil  conditions  favorable  for  vigorous  plant  growth, 
than  to  depend  upon  excessive  cultivation  to  accomplish  the  same  object  at  the 
expense  of  the  soil. 

PERMANENT  SOIL  IMPROVEMENT 

According  to  the  kind  of  soil  involved,  any  comprehensive  plan  contemplat- 
ing a  permanent  system  of  agriculture  will  need  to  take  into  account  some  of  the 
following  considerations. 

The  Application  of  Limestone 

The  Function  of  Limestone. — In  considering  the  application  of  limestone 
to  land  it  should  be  understood  that  this  material  functions  in  several  different 
ways,  and  that  a  beneficial  result  may  therefore  be  attributable  to  quite  diverse 
causes.  Limestone  provides  calcium,  of  which  certain  crops  are  strong  feeders. 
It  corrects  acidity  of  the  soil,  thus  making  for  some  crops  a  much  more  favorable 
environment  as  well  as  establishing  conditions  absolutely  required  for  some  of 
the  beneficial  legume  bacteria.  It  accelerates  nitrification  and  nitrogen  fixation. 
It  promotes  sanitation  of  the  soil  by  inhibiting  the  growth  of  certain  fungous 
diseases,  such  as  corn-root  rot.  Experience  indicates  that  it  modifies  either 
directly  or  indirectly  the  physical  structure  of  fine-textured  soils,  frequently  to 
their  great  improvement.  Thus,  working  in  one  or  more  of  these  different  ways, 
limestone  often  becomes  the  key  to  the  improvement  of  worn  lands. 


Ogle  County  37 

How  to  Ascertain  the  Need  for  Limestone. — One  of  the  most  reliable  indica- 
tions as  to  whether  a  soil  needs  limestone  is  the  character  of  the  growth  of  certain 
legumes,  particularly  sweet  clover  and  alfalfa.  These  crops  do  not  thrive  in 
acid  soils.  Their  successful  growth,  therefore,  indicates  the  lack  of  sufficient 
acidity  in  the  soil  to  be  harmful.  In  case  of  their  failure  to  grow  the  soil  should 
be  tested  for  acidity  as  described  below.  A  very  valuable  test  for  ascertaining 
the  need  of  a  soil  for  limestone  is  found  in  the  potassium  thiocyanate  test  for 
soil  acidity.  It  is  desirable  to  make  the  +est  for  carbonates  along  with  the  acidity 
test.  Limestone  is  calcium  carbonate,  while  dolomite  is  the  combined  carbonates 
of  calcium  and  magnesium.  The  natural  occurrence  of  these  carbonates  in  the 
soil  is  sufficient  assurance  that  no  limestone  is  needed,  and  the  acidity  test  will 
be  negative.  On  lands  which  have  beers  treated  with  limestone,  however,  the 
surface  soil  may  give  a  positive  test  for  carbonates,  owing  to  the  presence  of 
undecomposed  pieces  of  limestone,  and  at  the  same  time  a  positive  test  for  acidity 
may  be  secured.  Such  a  result  means  either  that  insufficient  limestone  has  been, 
added  to  neutralize  the  acidity,  or  that  it  has  not  been  in  the  soil  long  enough 
to  entirely  correct  the  acidity.  In  making  these  tests,  it  is  desirable  to  examine 
samples  of  soil  from  different  depths,  since  carbonates  may  be  present,  even  in 
abundance,  below  a  surface  stratum  that  is  acid.  Following  are  the  directions 
for  making  the  tasts : 

The  Potassium  Thiocyanate  Test  for  Acidity.  This  test  is  made  with  a  4-perceiit  solu- 
tion of  potassium  thiocyanate  in  alcohol- — 4  grams  of  potassium  thiocyanate  in  100  cubic 
centimeters  of  95-percent  alcohol.'  When  a  small  quantity  of  soil  shaken  up  in  a  test  tube 
with  this  solution  gives  a  red  color  the  soil  is  acid  and  limestone  should  be  applied.  If  the 
solution  remains  colorless  the;  soil  is  not  acid.  An  excess  of  water  interferes  with  the  reac- 
tion. The  sample  when  tested,  therefore,  should  be  at  least  as  dry  as  when  the  soil  is  in 
good  tillable  condition.  For  a  prompt  reaction  the  temperature  of  the  soil  and  solution 
should  be  not  lower  than  that  of  comfortable  working  conditions  (60°  to  75°  Fahrenheit). 

The  Hydrochloric  Acid  Test  for  Carbonates.  Take  a  small  representative  sample  of 
soil  and  pour  upon  it  a  few  drops  of  hydrochloric  (muriatic)  acid,  prepared  by  diluting  the 
concentrated  acid  with  an  equal  volume  of  water.  The  presence  of  limestone  or  some  other 
carbonates  will  be  fhown  by  the  appearance  of  gas  bubbles  within  2  or  3  minutes,  producing 
foaming  or  effervescence.  The  absence  of  carbonates  in  a  soil  is  not  in  itself  evidence  that 
the  soil  is  acid  or  that  limestone  should  be  applied,  but  it  indicates  that  the  confirmatory 
potassium  thiocyanate  test  should  be  carried  out. 

Amounts  to  Apply. — Acid  soils  should  be  treated  with  limestone  whenever 
such  application  is  at  all  practicable.  The  initial  application  varies  with  the 
degree  of  acidity  and  will  usually  range  from  2  to  6  tons  an  acre.  The  larger 
amounts  will  be  needed  on  strongly  acid  soils,  particularly  on  land  being  pre- 
pared for  alfalfa.  When  sufficient  limestone  has  been  used  to  establish  condi- 
tions favorable  to  the  growth  of  legumes,  no  further  applications  are  necessary 
until  the  acidity  again  develops  to  such  an  extent  as  to  interfere  with  the  best 
growth  of  these  crops.  This  will  ordinarily  be  at  intervals  of  several  years.  In 
the  case  of  an  inadequate  supply  of  magnesium  in  the  soil,  the  occasional  use 
of  magnesian  (dolomitic)  limestone  would  serve  to  correct  this  deficiency. 
Otherwise,  so  far  as  present  knowledge  indicates,   either  form  of  limestone — 


'  Since  undenatured  alcohol  is  difficult  to  obtain,  some  of  the  denatured  alcohols  have  been 
tested  for  making  this  solution.  Completely  denatured  alcohol  made  over  U.  S.  Formulas  No. 
1  and  No.  4,  have  been  found  satisfactory.  Some  commcTcial  firms  are  also  offering  other 
preparations  which  are  satisfactory. 


38  Soil  Report  No.  38:    Appendix 

high-calcium  or  magnesian — will  be  equally  effective,  depending  upon  the  purity 
and  fineness  of  the  respective  stones. 

Fineness  of  Material. — The  fineness  to  which  limestone  is  ground  is  an  im- 
portant consideration  in  its  use  for  soil  improvement.  Experiments  indicate  that 
a  considerable  range  in  this  regard  is  permissible.  Very  fine  grinding  insures 
ready  solubility,  and  thus  promptness  in  action ;  but  the  finer  the  grinding  the 
greater  is  the  expense  involved.  A  grinding,  therefore,  that  furnishes  not  too 
large  a  proportion  of  coarser  particles  along  with  the  finer,  similar  to  that  of  the 
by-product  material  on  the  market,  is  to  be  recommended.  Altho  the  exact  pro- 
portions of  coarse  and  fine  material  cannot  be  prescribed,  it  may  be  said  that 
a  limestone  crushed  so  that  the  coarsest  fragments  will  pass  thru  a  screen  of  4  to  10 
meshes  to  the  inch  is  satisfactory  if  the  total  product  is  used. 

The  Nitrogen  Problem 

Nitrogen  presents  the  greatest  practical  soil  problem  in  American  agricul- 
ture. Four  important  reasons  for  this  are:  its  increasing  deficiency  in  most 
soils ;  its  cost  when  purchased  on  the  open  market ;  its  removal  in  large  amounts 
by  crops;  and  its  loss  from  soils  thru  leaching.  Nitrogen  usually  costs  from 
four  to  five  times  as  much  per  pound  as  phosphorus.  A  100-bushel  crop  of  corn 
requires  150  pounds  of  nitrogen  for  its  growth,  but  only  23  pounds  of  phosphorus. 
The  loss  of  nitrogen  from  soils  may  vary  from  a  few  pounds  to  over  one  hundred 
pounds  per  acre,  depending  upon  the  treatment  of  the  soil,  the  distribution  of 
rainfall,  and  the  protection  afforded  by  growing  crops. 

An  inexhaustible  supply  of  nitrogen  is  present  in  the  air.  Above  each  acre 
of  the  earth's  surface  there  are  about  sixty-nine  million  pounds  of  atmospheric 
nitrogen.  The  nitrogen  above  one  square  mile  weighs  twenty  million  tons,  an 
amount  sufficient  to  supply  the  entire  world  for  four  or  five  decades.  This  large 
supply  of  nitrogen  in  the  air  is  the  one  to  which  the  world  must  eventually  turn. 
There  are  two  methods  of  collecting  the  inert  nitrogen  gas  of  the  air  and 
combining  it  into  compounds  that  will  furnish  products  for  plant  growth.  These 
are  the  chemical  and  the  biological  fixation  of  the  atmospheric  nitrogen.  Farmers 
have  at  their  command  one  of  these  methods.  By  growing  inoculated  legumes, 
nitrogen  may  be  obtained  from  the  air,  and  by  plowing  under  more  than  the 
roots  of  these  legumes,  nitrogen  may  be  added  to  the  soil. 

Inasmuch  as  legumes  are  worth  growing  for  purposes  other  than  the  fixation 
of  atmospheric  nitrogen,  a  considerable  portion  of  the  nitrogen  thus  gained 
may  be  considered  a  by-product.  Because  of  that  fact,  it  is  questionable  whether 
the  chemical  fixation  of  nitrogen  will  ever  be  able  to  replace  the  simple  method 
of  obtaining  atmospheric  nitrogen  by  growing  inoculated  legumes  in  the  pro- 
duction of  our  great  grain  and  forage  crops. 

It  may  well  be  kept  in  mind  that  the  following  amounts  of  nitrogen  are 
required  for  the  produce  named : 

1  bushel  of  oats  (grain  and  straw)   requires  1  pound  of  nitrogen. 

1  bushel  of  corn   (grain  and  stalks)   requires  iy2  pounds  of  nitrogen. 

1  bushel  of  wheat  (grain  and  straw)  requires  2  pounds  of  nitrogen. 

1  ton  of  timothy  contains  24  pounds  of  nitrogen. 

1  ton  of  clover  contains  40  pounds  of  nitrogen. 


Ogle  County  39 

1  ton  of  cowpca  hay  contains  43  pounds  of  nitrogen. 
1  ton  of  alfalfa  contains  50  pounds  of  nitrogen. 
1  ton  of  average  manure  contains  10  pounds  of  nitrogen. 

1  ton  of  young  sweet  clover,  at  about  the  stage  of  growth  when  it  is  plowed  under  as 
green  manure,  contains,  on  water-free  basis,  80  pounds  of  nitrogen. 

The  roots  of  clover  contain  about  half  as  much  nitrogen  as  the  tops,  and  the 
roots  of  cowpcas  contain  about  one-tenth  as  much  as  the  tops.  Soils  of  mod- 
erate productive  power  will  furnish  as  mucii  nitrogen  to  clover  (and  two  or  three 
times  as  much  to  cowpeas)  as  will  be  left  in  the  roots  and  stubble.  In  grain 
crops,  .such  as  wheat,  corn,  and  oats,  about  two-thirds  of  the  nitrogen  is  con- 
tained in  the  grain  and  one-third  in  the  straw  or  stalks. 

The  Phosphorus  Problem 

The  element  phosphorus  is  an  indispensable  constituent  of  every  living  cell. 
It  is  intimately  connected  with  the  life  processes  of  both  plants  and  animals,  the 
nuclear  material  of  the  cells  being  especially  rich  in  this  element. 

The  phosphorus  content  of  the  soil  is  dependent  upon  the  origin  of  the  soil. 
The  removal  of  phosphorus  by  continuous  cropping  slowly  reduces  the  amount 
of  this  element  in  the  soil  available  for  crop  use,  unless  its  addition  is  provided 
for  by  natural  means,  such  as  overflow,  or  by  agi'icultural  practices,  such  as  the 
addition  of  phosphatic  fertilizers  and  rotations  in  which  deep-rooting,  leguminous 
crops  are  frequently  grown. 

It  shoukrbe  borne  in  mind  in  connection  with  the  application  of  phosphate, 
or  of  any  other  fertilizing  material,  to  the  soil,  that  no  benefit  can  result  until 
the  need  for  it  has  become  a  limiting  factor  in  plant  growth.  For  example,  if 
there  is  already  present  in  the  soil  sufficient  available  phosphorus  to  produce  a 
forty-bushel  crop,  and  the  nitrogen  supply  or  the  moisture  supply  is  sufficient 
for  only  forty  bushels,  or  less,  then  extra  phosphorus  added  to  the  soil  cannot 
increase  the  yield  beyond  this  forty-bushel  limit. 

There  are  several  different  materials  containing  phosphorus  which  are 
applied  to  land  as  fertilizer.  The  more  important  of  these  are  bone  meal,  acid 
phosphate,  natural  raw  rock  phosphate,  and  basic  slag.  Obviously  that  carrier 
of  phosphorus  which  gives  the  most  economical  returns,  as  considered  from  all 
standpoints,  is  the  most  suitable  one  to  use.  Altho  this  matter  has  been  the 
subject  of  much  discussion  and  investigation  the  question  still  remains  unsettled. 
Proba])ly  there  is  no  single  carrier  of  phosphorus  that  will  prove  to  be  the  most 
economical  one  to  use  under  all  circumstances  because  so  much  depends  upon 
soil  conditions,  crops  grown,  length  of  haul,  and  market  conditions. 

Bone  meal,  prepared  from  the  bones  of  animals,  appears  on  the  market  in 
two  different  forms,  raw  and  steamed.  Raw  bone  meal  contains,  besides  the 
phasphorus,  a  considerable  percentage  of  nitrogen  which  adds  a  useless  expense 
if  the  material  is  purchased  only  for  the  sake  of  the  phosphorus.  As  a  source  of 
phosphorus,  steamed  bone  meal  is  preferable  to  raw  bone  meal.  Steamed  bone 
meal  is  prepared  by  extracting  most  of  the  nitrogenous  and  fatty  matter  from 
the  bones,  thus  producing  a  more  nearly  pure  form  of  calcium  phosphate  con- 
taining about  10  to  12  percent  of  the  element  phosphorus. 


40  Soil  Report  No.  38:    Appendix 

Acid  phosphate  is  produced  by  treating  rock  phosphate  with  sulfuric  acid. 
The  two  are  mixed  in  about  equal  amounts;  the  product  therefore  contains 
about  one-half  as  much  phosphorus  as  the  rock  phosphate  itself.  Besides  phos- 
phorus, acid  phosphate  also  contains  sulfur,  which  is  likewise  an  element  of 
plant  food.  The  phosphorus  in  acid  phosphate  is  more  readily  available  for 
absorption  by  plants  than  that  of  raw  rock  phosphate.  Acid  phosphate  of  good 
quality  should  contain  6  percent  or  more  of  the  element  phosphorus. 

Rock  phosphate,  sometimes  called  floats,  is  a  mineral  substance  found  in 
vast  deposits  in  certain  regions.  The  phosphorus  in  this  mineral  exists  chem- 
ically as  tri-calcium  phosphate,  and  a  good  grade  of  the  rock  should  contain 
121/^  percent,  or  more,  of  the  element  phosphorus.  The  rock  should  be  ground 
to  a  powder,  fine  enough  to  pass  thru  a  100-mesh  sieve,  or  even  finer. 

The  relative  cheapness  of  raw  rock  phosphate,  as  compared  with  the  treated 
or  acidulated  material,  makes  it  possible  to  apply  for  equal  money  expenditure 
considerably  more  phosphorus  per  acre  in  this  form  than  in  the  form  of  acid 
phosphate,  the  ratio  being,  under  the  market  conditions  of  the  past  several  years, 
about  4  to  1.  That  is  to  say,  under  these  market  conditions,  a  dollar  will  pur- 
chase about  four  times  as  much  of  the  element  phosphorus  in  the  form  of  rock 
phosphate  as  in  the  form  of  acid  phosphate,  which  is  an  important  consideration 
if  one  is  interested  in  building  up  a  phosphorus  reserve  in  the  soil.  As  explained 
above,  more  very  carefully  conducted  comparisons  on  various  soil  types  under 
various  cropping  systems  are  needed  before  definite  statements  can  be  given  as 
to  which  form  of  phosphate  is  most  economical  to  use  under  any  given  set  of 
conditions. 

Basic  slag,  known  also  as  Thomas  phosphate,  is  another  carrier  of  phos- 
phorus that  might  be  mentioned  because  of  its  considerable  usage  in  Europe 
and  eastern  United  States.  Basic  slag  phosphate  is  a  by-product  in  the  manu- 
facture of  steel.  It  contains  a  considerable  proportion  of  basic  material  and 
therefore  it  tends  to  influence  the  soil  reaction. 

Rock  phosphate  may  be  applied  at  any  time  during  a  rotation,  but  it  is 
applied  to  the  best  advantage  either  preceding  a  crop  of  clover,  which  plant 
seems  to  possess  an  unusual  power  for  assimilating  the  phosphorus  from  raw 
phosphate,  or  else  at  a  time  when  it  can  be  plowed  under  with  some  form  of 
organic  matter  such  as  animal  manure  or  green  manure,  the  decay  of  which 
serves  to  liberate  the  phosphorus  from  its  insoluble  condition  in  the  rock.  It  is 
important  that  the  finely  ground  rock  phosphate  be  intimately  mixed  with  the 
organic  material  as  it  is  plowed  under. 

In  using  acid  phosphate  or  bone  meal  in  a  cropping  system  which  includes 
wheat,  it  is  a  common  practice  to  apply  the  material  in  the  preparation  of  the 
wheat  ground.  It  may  be  advantageous,  however,  to  divide  the  total  amount 
to  be  used  and  apply  a  portion  to  the  other  crops  of  the  rotation,  particularly 
to  corn  and  to  clover. 

The  Potassium  Problem 

Our  most  common  soils,  which  are  silt  loams  and  clay  loams,  are  well  stocked 
with  potassium,  altho  it  exists  largely  in  a  slowly  soluble  form.     Such  soils  as 


Ogle  County  41 

sands  and  peats,  however,  are  likely  to  be  low  in  this  element.  On  such  soils 
this  deficiency  may  be  remedied  by  the  application  of  some  potassium  salt,  such 
as  potassium  sulfate,  potassium  chlorid,  kainit,  or  other  potassium  compound, 
and  in  many  instances  this  is  done  at  great  profit. 

From  all  the  facts  at  hand  it  seems,  so  far  as  our  great  areas  of  common 
soils  are  concerned,  that,  with  a  few  exceptions,  the  potassium  problem  is  not 
one  of  addition  but  of  liberation.  The  Rothamsted  records,  which  represent  the 
oldest  soil  experiment  fields  in  the  world,  show  that  for  many  years  other  soluble 
salts  have  had  practically  the  same  power  as  potassium  salts  to  increase  crop 
yields  in  the  absence  of  sufficient  decaying  organic  matter.  Whether  this  action 
relates  to  supplying  or  liberating  potassium  for  its  own  sake,  or  to  the  power 
of  the  soluble  salt  to  increase  the  availability  of  phosphorus  or  other  elements, 
is  not  known,  but  where  much  potassium  is  removed,  as  in  the  entire  crops  at 
Rothamsted,  Avith  no  return  of  organic  residues,  probably  the  soluble  salt  func- 
tions in  both  ways. 

Further  evidence  on  this  matter  is  furnished  by  the  Illinois  experiment  field 
at  Fairfield,  where  potassium  sulfate  has  been  compared  with  kainit  both  with 
and  without  the  addition  of  organic  matter  in  the  form  of  stable  manure.  Both 
sulfate  and  kainit  produced  a  substantial  increase  in  the  yield  of  corn,  but  the 
cheaper  salt — kainit — was  just  as  effective  as  the  potassium  sulfate,  and  returned 
some  financial  profit.  Manure  alone  gave  an  increase  similar  to  that  produced 
by  the  potassium  salts,  but  the  salts  added  to  the  manure  gave  very  little  increase 
over  that  produced  by  the  manure  alone.  This  is  explained  in  part,  perhaps,  by 
the  fact  that  the  potassium  removed  in  the  crops  is  mostly  returned  in  manure 
properly  cared  for,  and  perhaps  in  larger  part  by  the  fact  that  decaying  organic 
matter  helps  to  liberate  and  hold  in  solution  other  plant-food  elements,  especially 
phosphorus. 

In  laboratory  experiments  at  the  Illinois  Experiment  Station,  it  has  been 
shown  that  potassium  salts  and  most  other  soluble  salts  increase  the  solubility  of 
the  phosphorus  in  soil  and  in  rock  phosphate;  also  that  the  addition  of  glucose 
with  rock  phosphate  in  pot-culture  experiments  increases  the  availability  of  the 
phosphorus,  as  measured  by  plant  growth,  altho  the  glucose  consists  only  of  car- 
bon, hydrogen,  and  oxygen,  and  thus  contains  no  limiting  element  of  plant  food. 

In  considering  the  conservation  of  potassium  on  the  farm  it  should  be  re- 
membered that  in  average  livestock  farming  the  animals  destroy  two-thirds  of 
the  organic  matter  and  retain  one-fourth  of  the  nitrogen  and  phosphorus  from 
the  food  they  consume,  but  that  they  retain  less  than  one-tenth  of  the  potassium ; 
so  that  the  actual  loss  of  potassium  in  the  products  sold  from  the  farm,  either 
in  grain  farming  or  in  livestock  farming,  is  negligible  on  land  containing  25,000 
pounds  or  more  of  potassium  in  the  surface  6%  inches. 

The  Calcium  and  Magnesium  Problem 

When  measured  by  crop  removals  of  the  plant-food  elements,  calcium  is 
often  more  limited  in  Illinois  soils  than  is  potassium,  while  magnesium  may  be 
occasionally.  In  the  case  of  calcium,  however,  the  deficiency  is  likely  to  develop 
more  rapidly  and  become  much  more  marked  because  this  element  is  leached 


42  Soil  Report  No.  38:    Appendix 

out  of  the  soil  in  drainage  water  to  a  far  greater  extent  than  is  either  magnesium 
or  potassium. 

The  annual  loss  of  limestone  from  the  soil  depends,  of  course,  upon  a  num- 
ber of  factors  aside  from  those  which  have  to  do  with  climatic  conditions. 
Among  these  factors  may  be  mentioned  the  character  of  the  soil,  the  kind  of 
limestone,  its  condition  of  fineness,  the  amount  present,  and  the  sort  of  farming 
practiced.  Because  of  this  variation  in  the  loss  of  lime  materials  from  the  soil, 
it  is  impossible  to  prescribe  a  fixed  practice  in  their  renewal  that  will  apply  uni- 
versally. The  tests  for  acidity  and  carbonates  described  above,  together  with  the 
behavior  of  such  lime-loving  legumes  as  alfalfa  and  sweet  clover,  will  serve  as 
general  indicators  for  the  frequency  of  applying  limestone  and  the  amount  to 
use  on  a  given  field. 

Limestone  has  a  direct  value  on  some  soils  for  the  plant  food  which  it 
supplies,  in  addition  to  its  value  in  correcting  soil  acidity  and  in  improving  the 
physical  condition  of  the  soil.  Ordinary  limestone  (abundant  in  the  southern 
and  western  parts  of  Illinois)  contains  nearly  800  pounds  of  calcium  per  ton; 
while  a  good  grade  of  dolomitic  limestone  (the  more  common  limestone  of  north- 
ern Illinois)  contains  about  400  pounds  of  calcium  and  300  pounds  of  magnesium 
per  ton.  Both  of  these  elements  are  furnished  in  readily  available  form  in 
ground  dolomitic  limestone. 

The  Sulfur  Question 

In  considering  the  relation  of  sulfur  in  a  permanent  system  of  soil  fertility 
it  is  important  to  understand  something  of  the  cycle  of  transformations  that  this 
element  undergoes  in  nature.    Briefly  stated  this  is  as  follows: 

Sulfur  exists  in  the  soil  in  both  organic  and  inorganic  forms,  the  former 
being  gradually  converted  to  the  latter  form  thru  bacterial  action;  In  this 
inorganic  form  sulfur  is  taken  up  by  plants  which  in  their  physiological  pro- 
cesses change  it  once  more  into  an  organic  form  as  a  constituent  of  protein. 
When  these  plant  proteins  are  consumed  by  animals,  the  sulfur  becomes  a  part 
of  the  animal  protein.  When  these  plant  and  animal  proteins  are  decomposed, 
either  thru  bacterial  action,  or  thru  combustion,  as  in  the  burning  of  coal,  the 
sulfur  passes  into  the  atmosphere  or  into  the  soil  solution  in  the  form  of  sulfur 
dioxid  gas.  This  gas  unites  with  oxygen  and  water  to  form  sulfuric  acid,  which 
is  readily  washed  back  into  the  soil  by  the  rain,  thus  completing  the  cycle,  from 
soil — to  plants  and  animals — to  air — to  soil. 

In  this  way  sulfur  becomes  largely  a  self-renewing  element  of  the  soil,  altho 
there  is  a  considerable  loss  from  the  soil  by  leaching.  Observations  taken  at  the 
Illinois  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  show  that  40  pounds  of  sulfur  per 
acre  are  brought  into  the  soil  thru  the  annual  rainfall.  With  a  fair  stock  of 
sulfur,  such  as  exists  in  our  common  types  of  soil,  and  with  an  annual  return, 
which  of  itself  would  more  than  suffice  for  the  needs  of  maximum  crops,  the 
maintenance  of  an  adequate  sulfur  supply  presents  little  reason  at  present  for 
serious  concern.  There  are  regions,  however,  where  the  natural  stock  of  sulfur 
in  the  soil  is  not  nearly  so  high  and  where  the  amount  returned  thru  rainfall  is 
small.     Under  such  circumstances  sulfur  soon  becomes  a  limiting  element  of 


Ogle  County  43 

crop  production,  and  it  will  be  necessary  sooner  or  later  to  introduce  this  sub- 
stance from  some  outside  source.  Investigation  is  now  under  way  to  determine 
to  what  extent  this  situation  may  apply  under  Illinois  conditions. 

Physical  Improvement  of  Soils 

In  the  management  of  most  soil  types,  one  very  important  matter,  aside  from 
proper  fertilization,  tillage,  and  drainage,  is  to  keep  the  soil  in  good  physical 
condition,  or  good  tilth.  The  constituent  most  important  for  this  purpose  is 
organic  matter.  Organic  matter  in  producing  good  tilth  helps  to  control  wash- 
ing of  soil  on  rolling  land,  raises  the  temperature  of  drained  soil,  increases  the 
moisture-holding  capacity  of  the  soil,  slightly  retards  capillary  rise  and  conse- 
quently loss  of  moisture  by  surface  evaporation,  and  helps  to  overcome  the 
tendency  of  some  soils  to  run  together  badly. 

The  physical  effect  of  organic  matter  is  to  produce  a  granulation  or  mellow- 
ness, by  cementing  the  fine  soil  particles  into  crumbs  or  grains  about  as  large  as 
grains  of  sand,  which  produces  a  condition  very  favorable  for  tillage,  percolation 
of  rainfall,  and  the  development  of  plant  roots. 

Organic  matter  is  undergoing  destruction  during  a  large  part  of  the  year 
and  the  nitrates  produced  in  its  decomposition  are  used  for  plant  growth.  Altho 
this  decomposition  is  necessary,  it  nevertheless  reduces  the  amount  of  organic 
matter,  and  provision  must  therefore  be  made  for  maintaining  the  supply.  The 
practical  way  to  do  this  is  to  turn  under  the  farm  manure,  straw,  cornstalks, 
weeds,  and  all  or  part  of  the  legumes  produced  on  the  farm.  The  amount  of 
legumes  needed  depends  upon  the  character  of  the  soil.  There  are  farms,  espe- 
cially grain  farms,  in  nearly  every  community  where  all  legumes  could  be  turned 
under  for  several  years  to  good  advantage. 

Manure  should  be  spread  upon  the  land  as  soon  as  possible  after  it  is  pro- 
duced, for  if  it  is  allowed  to  lie  in  the  barnyard  several  months  as  is  so  often 
the  case,  from  one-third  to  two-thirds  of  the  organic  matter  will  be  lost. 

Straw  and  cornstalks  should  be  turned  under,  and  not  burned.  There  is 
considerable  evidence  indicating  that  on  some  soils  undecomposed  straw  applied 
in  excessive  amount  may  be  detrimental.  Probably  the  best  practice  is  to  apply 
the  straw  as  a  constituent  of  well-rotted  stable  manure.  Perhaps  no  form  of 
organic  matter  acts  more  beneficially  in  producing  good  tilth  than  cornstalks.  It 
is  true,  they  decay  rather  slowly,  but  it  is  also  true  that  their  durability  in  the 
soil  is  exactly  what  is  needed  in  the  production  of  good  tilth.  Furthermore, 
the  nitrogen  in  a  ton  of  cornstalks  is  one  and  one-half  times  that  of  a  ton  of 
manure,  and  a  ton  of  dry  cornstalks  incorporated  in  the  soil  will  ultimately 
furnish  as  much  humus  as  four  tons  of  average  farm  manure.  When  burned, 
however,  both  the  humus-making  material  and  the  nitrogen  are  lost  to  the  soil. 

It  is  a  common  practice  in  the  corn  belt  to  pasture  the  cornstalks  during 
the  winter  and  often  rather  late  in  the  spring  after  the  frost  is  out  of  the  ground. 
This  trampling  by  stock  sometimes  puts  the  soil  in  bad  condition  for  working. 
It  becomes  partially  puddled  and  will  be  cloddy  as  a  result.  If  tramped  too 
late  in  the  spring,  the  natural  agencies  of  freezing  and  thawing  and  wetting 
and  drying,  with  the  aid  of  ordinary  tillage,  fail  to  produce  good  tilth  before 


44  Soil  Report  No.  38:    Appendix 

the  crop  is  planted.  Whether  the  crop  be  corn  or  oats,  it  necessarily  suffers  and 
if  the  season  is  dry,  much  damage  may  be  done.  If  the  field  is  put  in  corn,  a 
poor  stand  is  likely  to  result,  and  if  put  in  oats,  the  soil  is  so  compact  as  to  be 
unfavorable  for  their  growth.  Sometimes  the  soil  is  worked  when  too  wet.  This 
also  produces  a  partial  puddling  which  is  unfavorable  to  physical,  chemical,  and 
biological  processes.  The  effect  becomes  worse  if  cropping  has  reduced  the 
organic  matter  below  the  amount  necessary  to  maintain  good  tilth. 

Systems  of  Crop  Rotations 

In  a  program  of  permanent  soil  improvement  one  should  adopt  at  the  outset 
a  good  rotation  of  crops,  including,  for  the  reasons  discussed  above,  a  liberal 
use  of  legumes.  No  one  can  say  in  advance  for  every  particular  case  what  will 
prove  to  be  the  best  rotation  of  crops,  because  of  variation  in  farms  and  farmers 
and  in  prices  for  produce.  As  a  general  principle  the  shorter  rotations,  with 
the  frequent  introduction  of  leguminous  crops,  are  the  better  adapted  for  build- 
ing up  poor  soils. 

Following  are  a  few  suggested  rotations  which  may  serve  as  models  or  out- 
lines to  be  modified  according  to  special  circumstances. 

Six- Year  notations 
First  year     — Corn 
Second  year  -^Corn 

Third  year     — Wheat  or  oats  (with  clover,  or  clover  and  grass) 
Fourth  year  — Clover,  or  clover  and  grass 
Fifth  year     — Wheat   (with  clover),  or  grass  and  clover 
Sixth  year     — Clover,  or  clover  and  grass 

In  grain  farming,  with  small  grain  grown  the  third  and  fifth  years,  most  of 
the  unsalable  products  should  be  returned  to  the  soil,  and  the  clover  may  be 
clipped  and  left  on  the  land  or  returned  after  threshing  out  the  seed;  or,  in 
livestock  farming,  the  field  may  be  used  three  years  for  timothy  and  clover  pas- 
ture and  meadow  if  desired.  The  system  may  be  reduced  to  a  five-year  rotation 
by  cutting  out  either  the  second  or  the  sixth  year,  and  to  a  four-year  system  by 
omitting  the  fifth  and  sixth  years,  as  indicated  below. 

The  two  following  rotations  are  suggested  as  especially  adapted  for  com- 
bating the  corn  borer : 

First  year     — Com  First  year     — Corn 

Second  year  — Soybeans  Second  year  —Soybeans 

Third  year    -Small  grain  (with  legume)  Third  year    — Small  grain    (with  legdme) 

Foiirth  year  — Legume  Fourth  year  — Legume 

Fifth  year     — Corn   (for  silage)  Fifth  year    — Wheat    (with  alfalfa) 

Sixth  year     — Wheat    (with   sweet  clover)  Sixth  year     — Alfalfa 

Five- Year  Rotations 

First  year     — Corn 

Second  year  — Wheat  or  oats  (with  clover,  or  clover  and  grass) 

Third  year     — Clover,  or  clover  and  grass 

Fourth  year  — Wheat  (with  clover),  or  clover  and  grass 

Fifth  year     ■ — Clover,  or  clover  and  grass 

First  year      — Corn 

Second  year  — Soybeans 

Third  year     — Corn 

Fourth  year  — Wheat   (with  legume) 

Fifth  year     ■ — Legume 


Ogle  County 


45 


First  year      — Corn 

Second  year  — Covvpcas  or  soybeans 

Third  year     — Wheat   (with  clover) 

Fourth  year  — Clover 

Fifth  year     ■ — Wheat    (with  clover) 

The  last  rotation  mentioned  above  allows  legumes  to  be  grown  four  times. 
Alfalfa  may  be  grown  on  a  sixth  field,  rotating  over  all  the  fields  if  moved  every 
six  years. 

Four- Year  Rotations 


First  year     — Corn 

Second  year  — Wheat  or  oats   (with  clover) 


Third  year    — Clover 

-Wheat    (with  clover) 


Fourth  year 

First  year     ■ — Corn 
Second  year  — Cowpeas  or  soybeans 
Third  year    — Wheat   (with  clover) 
Fourth  year  — Clover 


First  year     — Corn 

Second  year  — Corn 

T]iird  year    — Wheat  or  oats   (with  clover) 

Fourth  year  — Clover 

First  year     —Wheat   (with  clover) 

Second  year  — Clover 

Third  year    — Corn 

Fourth  year  — Oats   (with  clover) 


Alfalfa  may  be  grown  on  a  fifth  field  for  four  or  eight  years,  which  is  to  be 
alternated  with  one  of  the  four ;  or  the  alfalfa  may  be  moved  every  3ve  years, 
and  thus  rotated  over  all  five  fields  every  twenty-five  years. 


Three-Year  Rotations 

First  year     — Corn  First  year 

Second  year  — Oats  or  wheat   (with  clover)  Second  year 

Third  year    — Clover  Third  year 


-Wheat  or  oats   (with  clover) 

-Corn 

-Cowpeas  or  soybeans 


By  allowing  the  clover,  in  the  last  rotation  mentioned,  to  grow  in  the  spring 
before  preparing  the  land  for  corn,  we  have  provided  a  system  in  which  legumes 
grow  on  every  acre  every  year.  This  is  likewise  true  of  the  following  suggested 
two-year  system: 

Two- Year  Rotations 

First  year     — Oats  or  wheat  (with  sweet  clover) 
Second  year  — Corn 

Altho  in  this  two-year  rotation  either  oats  or  wheat  is  suggested,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  by  dividing  the  land  devoted  to  small  grain,  both  of  these  crops  can  be 
grown  simultaneously,  thus  providing  a  three-crop  system  in  a  two-year  cycle. 

It  should  be  understood  that  in  all  of  the  above  suggested  cropping  systems 
it  may  be  desirable  in  some  cases  to  substitute  barley  or  rye  for  the  wheat  or  oats. 
Or,  in  some  cases,  it  may  become  desirable  to  divide  the  acreage  of  small  grain  and 
grow  in  the  same  j-ear  more  than  one  kind.  In  all  of  these  proposed  rotations 
the  word  clover  is  used  in  a  general  sense  to  designate  either  red  clover,  alsike 
clover,  or  sweet  clover,  or  it  may  include  alfalfa  used  as  a  biennial.  The  mixing 
of  alfalfa  with  clover  seed  for  a  legume  crop  is  a  recommendable  practice.  The 
value  of  sweet  clover,  especially  as  a  green  manure  for  building  up  depleted  soils, 
as  well  as  a  pasture  and  hay-crop,  is  becoming  tlioroly  established,  and  its  im- 
portance in  a  crop-rotation  program  may  well  be  emphasized. 


SUPPLEMENT:  EXPERIMENT  FIELD  DATA 

{Results  from  Experiment  Fields  on  Soil  I'ypes  Similar  to  TJiose  Occurring  in 

Ogle  County) 

The  University  of  Illinois  has  conducted  altogether  about  fifty  soil  experi- 
ment fields  in  different  sections  of  the  state  and  on  various  types  of  soil.  Altho 
some  of  these  fields  have  been  discontinued,  the  majority  are  still  in  operation. 
It  is  the  present  purpose  to  report  the  summarized  results  from  certain  of  these 
fields  located  on  types  of  soil  described  in  the  accompanying  soil  report. 

A  few  general  explanations  at  this  point,  which  apply  to  all  the  fields,  will 
relieve  the  necessity  of  numerous  repetitions  in  the  following  pages. 

Size  and  Arrangement  of  Fields 
The  soil  experiment  fields  vary  in  size  from  less  than  two  acres  up  to  40  acres 
or  more.  They  are  laid  off  into  series  of  plots,  the  plots  commonly  being  either 
one-fifth  or  one-tenth  acre  in  area.  Each  series  is  occupied  by  one  kind  of  crop. 
Usually  there  are  several  series  so  that  a  crop  rotation  can  be  carried  on  with 
every  crop  represented  every  year. 

Two  Farming  Systems  Provided 

On  many  of  the  fields  the  treatment  provides  for  two  distinct, systems  of 
farming,  livestock  farming  and  grain  farming. 

In  the  livestock  system,  stable  manure  is  used  to  furnish  organic  matter  and 
nitrogen.  The  amount  applied  to  a  plot  is  based  upon  the  amount  that  can  be 
produced  from  crops  raised  on  that  plot. 

In  the  grain  system  no  animal  manure  is  used.  The  organic  matter  and 
nitrogen  are  applied  in  the  form  of  plant  manures,  including  the  plant  residues 
produced,  such  as  cornstalks,  straw  from  wheat,  oats,  clover,  etc.^  along  with 
leguminous  catch  crops  plowed  under.  It  is  the  plan  in  this  latter  system  to 
remove  from  the  land,  in  the  main,  only  the  grain  and  seed  produced,  except  in 
the  case  of  alfalfa,  that  crop  being  harvested  for  hay  the  same  as  in  the  livestock 
system.    Certain  modifications  have  been  introduced  in  recent  years. 

Definite  Crop  Rotations  Followed 

Crops  which  are  of  interest  in  the  respective  localities  are  grown  in  definite 
rotations.  The  most  common  rotation  used  is  wheat,  corn,  oats,  and  clover; 
and  often  these  crops  are  accompanied  by  alfalfa  growing  on  a  fifth  series.  In 
the  grain  sj^stem  a  legume  catch  crop,  usually  sweet  clover,  is  included,  which 
is  seeded  on  the  young  wheat  in  the  spring  and  plowed  under  in  the  fall  or  in 
the  following  spring  in  preparation  for  corn.  If  the  red  clover  crop  fails,  soy- 
beans are  substituted. 

Soil  Treatment 

The  treatment  applied  to  the  plots  has,  for  the  most  part,  been  standardized 
according  to  a  rather  definite  system,  altho  deviations  from  this  system  occur 
now  and  then,  particularly  in  the  older  fields. 

46 


Ogle  County  47 

Following  is  a  brief  explanation  of  this  standard  system  of  treatment. 

Animal  Manures. — Animal  manures,  consisting  of  excreta  from  animals,  with 
stable  litter,  are  spread  upon  the  respective  plots  in  amounts  proportionate  to 
previous  crop  yields,  the  applications  being  made  in  the  preparation  for  corn. 

Plant  Manures. — Crop  residues  produced  on  the  land,  such  as  stalks,  straw, 
and  chaff,  are  returned  to  the  soil,  and  in  addition  a  green-manure  crop  of  sweet 
clover  is  seeded  in  small  grains  to  be  plowed  under  in  preparation  for  corn.  (On 
plots  where  limestone  is  lacking  the  sweet  clover  seldom  survives.)  This  practice 
is  designated  as  the  residues  system. 

Mineral  Manures. — The  yearly  acre-rates  of  application  have  been :  for  lime- 
stone, 1,000  pounds;  for  raw  rock  phosphate,  500  pounds;  and  for  potassium, 
usually  200  pounds  of  kainit.  When  kainit  was  not  available,  owing  to  conditions 
brought  on  by  the  World  war,  potassium  carbonate  was  used.  The  initial  applica- 
tion of  limestone  has  usually  been  4  tons  per  acre. 

Explanation  of  Symbols  Used 

0    =  Untreated  land  or  check  plots 

M  =  Manure  (animal) 

R   =  Residues  (from  crops,  and  includes  legumes  used  as  green  manure) 

L    =  Limestone 

P    =  Phosphorus,  in  the  form  of  rock  phosphate  unless  otherwise  designated 

(aP=--acid  phosphate,  bP^bonemeal,  rP  =  rock  phosphate,  sP  =  slag 

phosphate) 
K   =:  Potassium  (usually  in  the  form  of  kainit) 
N   =  Nitrogen  (usually  in  the  form  contained  in  dried  blood) 
Le  =  Legume  used  as  green  manure 
Cv  =  Cover  crop 
(  )  =  Parentheses  enclosing  figures,  signifying  tons  of  hay,  as  distinguished  from 

bushels  of  seed 

I  =  Heavy  vertical  rule,  indicating  the  beginning  of  complete  treatment 

II  =  Double  vertical  rule,  indicating  a  radical  change  in  the  cropping  system. 

In  discussions  of  this  sort  of  data,  financial  profits  or  losses  based  upon 
assigned  market  values  are  frequently  considered.  However,  in  view  of  the 
erratic  fluctuations  in  market  values — especially  in  the  past  few  years — it  seems 
futile  to  attempt  to  set  any  prices  for  this  purpose  that  are  at  all  satisfactory. 
The  yields  are  therefore  presented  with  the  thought  that  with  these  figures  at 
hand  the  financial  returns  from  a  given  practice  can  readily  be  computed  upon 
the  basis  of  any  set  of  market  values  that  the  reader  may  choose  to  apply. 

THE  MT.  MORRIS  FIELD 

A  University  soil  experiment  field  located  in  Ogle  county  has  been  in  opera- 
tion for  the  past  sixteen  years.  This  field  is  situated  near  the  center  of  the 
county  at  the  edge  of  the  town  of  Mt.  Morris.  The  soil  type  as  shown  on  the 
county  map  is  Brown  Silt  Loam  but,  as  explained  in  the  description  of  the  Brown 
Silt  Loam,  this  type  as  mapped  in  Ogle  county  embraces  several  variations.  A 
detailed  examination  of  the  soil  of  the  Mt.  Morris  field  discloses  five  distinguish- 
able types  which,  on  a  large-scale  map,  can  be  indicated.     Such  a  map  is  pre- 


48 


Soil  Report  No.  38:    Supplement 


:z5:;iH  L'g^^t  Brown  S'lt  Loam^  shallow  phd5e 
-r---ll  Tama  s<lt    loam,  shallow  phase 

Light  Brown  Silt  Loam 
Tama  sth  loam 

Llff^it  Brown  Silt   Loam,  <ieep   phase 
TSma  s'lh   loam,   deep   phs&« 


D 


Brown   Slit    Loam 
Mu5catine  siJt  loam 

Brown   Silt  Loom,  ieep  pKase 
Muscatine  silt  loam,  deep   phase 


Scale 


Contour  interval -1  foot 


Fig.  2. — Diagram  of  the  Mt.  Morris  Soil  Experiment  Field 
This  diagram  shows  the  arrangement  of  plots,  the  soil  treatments  applied,  the  location  of 
the  different  soil  types,  and  by  means  of  contour  lines,  the  natural  drainage. 

sented  in  the  accompanying  diagram  (Fig.  2).  The  names  of  these  types  and 
their  distribution  over  the  field  are  shown  in  the  diagram.  There  are  also 
charted  the  arrangement  of  plots  with  their  respective  soil  treatments,  and  the 
topography  of  the  land  as  represented  by  contour  lines.  As  these  lines  indicate, 
the  land  is  somewhat  rolling  and  there  is  a  tendency  to  wash  in  some  places.  The 
field  has  been  tiled  and  the  drainage  is  good  excepting  on  some  of  the  lower  spots. 
The  field,  which  includes  20  acres,  is  laid  out  in  two  general  systems  of 
plots  which  have  been  designated  as  the  major  and  the  minor  systems.  Each 
system  embraces  four  series  of  plots  as  described  below. 


The  Major  Series— 100,  200,  300,  400 

The  four  series  of  plots  constituting  the  major  system,  are  each  made  up 
of  10  fifth-acre  plots  under  the  different  soil  treatments  indicated  in  the  accom- 
panying tables  and  diagram.  A  rotation  system  of  wheat,  corn,  oats,  and  clover 
was  practiced.  The  crops  were  managed  practically  as  described  for  the  general 
plan  on  page  46  until  1921,  when  it  was  planned  to  remove  all  clover  as  hay, 


Ogle  County 


49 


and  to  discontinue  the  return  of  oat  straw.  In  1922  the  return  of  the  wheat 
straw  was  also  discontinued  as  well  as  the  application  of  limestone.  In  1923  the 
phosphate  applications  were  evened  up  on  all-  phosphate  plots  to  a  total  amount 
of  4  tons  an  acre  and  no  more  will  be  applied  for  an  indefinite  period. 

Since  the  Mt.  Morris  field  is  located  in  Ogle  county,  a  complete  record  of  the 
yields  of  all  crops  grown  is  included  in  this  report.  The  results  for  the  major 
series  are  given  in  detail  in  Table  7  and  these  results  are  summarized  in  Table  8 
to  show  the  average  annual  yields  per  acre  for  the  different  kinds  of  crops,  in- 
cluding the  years  since  complete  soil  treatment  on  the  respective  plots  has  been 
in  effect. 

In  looking  over  these  results,  one  may  observe  first  the  beneficial  effect  of 
farm  manure.  The  annual  crop  increases  due  to  the  use  of  manure  alone  amount 
to  over  14  bushels  an  acre  for  corn,  nearly  9  bushels  of  oats,  almost  5  bushels  of 
wheat,  and  about  i/o  ton  of  clover.  Organic  manure  furnished  by  "residues" 
has  likewise  proved  beneficial  to  all  crops,  but  not  in  the  same  degree  as  stable 
manure. 

Limestone  in  addition  to  organic  manures  has  been  used  with  good  effect, 
the  improvement  being  especially  marked  in  the  residues  system. 

Rock  phosphate  has  produced  no  significant  effect  applied  with  manure  and 
limestone.  In  the  corresponding  residues  system  the  increases  in  yield  obtained 
from  rock  phosphate  are  somewhat  larger,  but  they  have  not  been  sufficient  to 
cover  the  cost  of  the  phosphate  applied. 

Potassium,  in  the  combination  used  in  these  experiments,  has  produced  no 
results  of  significance. 


Fig.  3. — Corn  on  the  Mt.  Morris  Field 

The  two  pictures  represent  the  extremes  in  corn  production  according  to  soil  treatment. 
Where  the  untreated  land  has  produced  as  a  fourteen-year  average  44.6  bushels  an  acre,  the 
land  under  the  residues,  limestone,  phosphate,  potash  treatment  has  yielded  67.2  bushels.  The 
most  profitable  treatment  on  this  field,  however,  has  been  that  of  residues  and  limestone,  which 
has  produced  62.2  bushels  an  acre. 


50 


Soil  Report  No.  38:    Supplement 


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Soil  Report  No.  38:    Supplement 


Table  8.— MT.  MORRIS  FIELD:   Series  100,  200,  300,  400,  Summary  of  Crop  Yields 
Average  Annual  Yields,  1913-1926 — Bushels  or  (tons)  per  acre 


Serial 
plot 

No. 

Soil  treatment  applied 

Corn 
14  crops 

Oats 
14  crops 

Wheat 
12  crops 

Clover' 
10  crops 

Soy- 
beans 
2  crops 

1 

0 

45.3 
59.5 
64.4 
64.3 

44.6 
51.2 
62.2 
65.6 

67.2 
43.6 

58.5 
67.4 
70.5 
71.5 

54.9 
59.4 
68.8 
70.2 

70.4 
52.4 

23.3 
28.1 
34.4 
35.9 

23.5 

25.8 
32.7 
36.2 

36.3 
24.6 

(1.96) 

(2.53) 
(2.97) 
(2.92) 

(1.61) 
(1.77) 
(2.24) 
(2.23) 

(2.24) 
(1.79) 

(1.56) 

2 

M 

(1  70) 

3 

ML 

(1.80) 

4 

MLP          

(1.92) 

5 

0 

13.5 

6 

R 

16.0 

7 

RL   

18.9 

8 

RLP 

20.7 

9 

RLPK 

20.0 

10 

0 

(1.68) 

Crop  Increases 


M  over  0. 
R  over  0 . 


ML  over  M . 
RL  over  R . 


MLP  over  ML. 
RLP  over  RL.  . 


RLPK  over  RLP. 


14.2 
6.6 

8.9 

4.5 

4.8 
2.3 

(   .57) 
(   .16) 

4.9 
11.0 

3.1 

9.4 

6.3 
6.9 

(   .44) 
(   .47) 

-      .1 
3.4 

1.0 
1.4 

1.5 
3.5 

-(   .05) 
-(   .01) 

1.6 

.2 

.1 

(   .01) 

(   .14) 
2.5 

(   .10) 
2.9 

(   .12) 
1.8 

-     .7 


'Some  clover  seed  evaluated  as  hay. 


The  Minor  Series— 500,  600,  700,  800 

The  plots  of  the  minor  series  were  not  laid  out  until  1912.  At  this  time  a 
rotation  of  potatoes  two  years,  and  alfalfa  six  years,  was  started.  Manure  was 
applied  at  the  rate  of  15  tons  an  acre  for  each  potato  crop.  In  the  beginning 
4  tons  of  limestone  an  acre  was  applied,  and  thereafter  the  applications  were 
continued  at  the  rate  of  i,'2  ton  a  year,  all  applied  in  preparation  for  the  alfalfa. 
Rock  phosphate  was  applied  at  the  annual  acre  rate  of  500  pounds  before  the  first 
potato  crop.  In  1921  the  rotation  was  changed  to  corn,  barley,  sweet  clover,  and 
alfalfa.  The  manure  was  evened  up  to  a  total  of  30  tons  an  acre,  the  limestone 
to  9  tons,  and  the  rock  phosphate  to  31/2  tons,  no  more  of  these  materials  to  be 
applied  for  an  indefinite  period. 

Table  9  presents  an  outline  of  the  cropping  history  of  these  series,  while 
Table  10  summarizes  the  work  in  terms  of  average  annual  acre-yields  for  those 
years  since  the  plots  have  been  under  their  full  treatments. 

The  general  beneficial  effect  of  farm  manure  is  again  demonstrated.  The 
use  of  limestone  has  also  given  profitable  returns,  particularly  in  the  alfalfa  hay. 
The  negative  result  with  sweet  clover  seed  is  probably  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
ranker  vegetative  growth  observed  on  the  lime  plots  was  detrimental  to  seed 
production. 

Here,  as  on  the  major  system  of  plots,  with  a  different  crop  rotation,  rock 
phosphate  has  produced  no  significant  effect. 


Ogle  County 


53 


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^_ 

CO 

CC 

CD 

t^ 

t-- 

r~- 

t^ 

GC 

00 

00 

00 1 

54 


Soil  Report  No.  38:    Supplement 


Table  10.— MT.  MGRRLS  FIELD:  Series  500,  600,  700,  800,  Summary  of  Crop  Yields 
Average  Annual  Yields,  1913-1926 — Bushels  or  (tons)  per  acre 


Serial 
plot 
No. 

Soil  treatment 
applied 

Potatoes 
8  crops 

Alfalfa 
19  crops 

Corn 
6  crops 

Barley 

6  crops 

Sweet  clo- 
ver seed 
S  crops 

Timothy- 
alsike 
1  crop 

1 

0 

89.8 
137.8 
143.5 
141.1 

(2.35) 
(3.0b) 

(3.77) 
(3.89) 

68.0 
70.6 
74.0 

74.7 

37.8 
49.3 
55.4 
55.3 

3.83 
4.28 
3.24 
3.10 

(1.46) 
(2.01) 

(2.45) 

2 

M 

3 

ML  

4 

MLP 

(2.54) 

Crop  Increases 


M  over  0 

ML  over  M.  .  . 
MLPover  ML. 


48.0 

(   .71) 

2.6 

11.5 

.45 

(   .55) 

5.7    ■ 

(   .71) 

3.4 

6.1 

-1.04 

(   .44) 

-   2.4 

(   .12) 

.7 

-      .1 

-    .14 

(   .09) 

THE  DIXON  FIELD 

A  summary  of  the  results  of  the  Dixon  experiment  field  are  presented  here, 
inasmuch  as  the  soil  of  this  field  is  similar  to  some  of  that  found  in  Ogle  county. 

This  field,  which  includes  about  21  acres,  is  laid  out  into  two  general  systems 
of  plots,  a  major  and  a  minor  system.  The  results  from  the  major  system  will 
be  considered  here. 

The  rotation  practiced  has  been  wheat,  corn,  oats,  and  clover.  The  treatment 
of  the  plots  and  management  of  the  cro'^s  have  been,  for  the  most  part,  according 
to  the  general  plan  described  above  on  page  46.  The  more  important  modifica- 
tion of  this  plan  has  been  the  discontinuance  within  the  last  few  years  of  the 
applications  of  limestone,  phosphate,  and  straw  residues. 


Table  11.— DIXON  FIELD:  Series  100,  200,  300,  400,  Summary  of  Crop  Yields 
Average  Annual  Yields,  1912-1926 — Bushels  or  (tons)  per  acre 


Serial 
plot 
No. 

Soil  treatment 
applied 

Corn 
15  crops 

Oats 
14  crops 

Wheat 
11  crops 

Barley 
1  crop 

Clover' 
9  crops 

Soybeans 
4  crops 

1 

0 

36.3 
55.6 
59.7 
62.3 

42.6 
50.5 
56.4 

57.7 

61.1 
41.3 

49.0 
61.7 
65.5 
67.3 

54.4 
58.7 
62.6 
65.1 

64.6 
52.0 

20.3 
26.9 
31.0 
34.2 

21.7 
24.8 
28.0 
32.9 

33 . 7 
20.0 

43.3 

46.4 
55.2 
58.3 

49.5 
53.8 
54.5 
59.0 

56.9 
45.4 

(1.73) 
(2.44) 
(2.70) 
(2.82) 

(1.35) 
(1.47) 
(1.77) 
(2.04) 

(2.18) 
(1.89) 

(1.46) 

2 

M 

(1.78) 

3 

ML 

(1.92) 

4 

MLP        

(1.97) 

5 
6 

0 

R 

11.8 
13.5 

7 

RL 

13.3 

8 

RLP 

13.3 

9 
10 

RLPK 

0 

14.6 

(1.45) 

Crop  Increases 

M  over  0 

R  over  0 

ML  over  M 

RL  over  R 

MLP  over  ML 

RLPover  RL 

RLPK  over  RLP 

19.3 
7.9 

4.1 
5.9 

2.6 
1.3 

3.4 

12.7 
4.3 

3.8 
3.9 

1.8 
2.5 

-      .5 

6.6 
3.1 

4.1 
3.2 

3.2 
4.9 

.8 

3.1 
4.3 

8.8 
.7 

3.1 

4.5 

-   2.1 

(   .71) 
(   .12) 

(   .26) 
(   .30) 

(   .12) 
(   .27) 

(   .14) 

(   .32) 
1.7 

(   .14)   • 
-      -2 

(   .05) 
0.0 

.7 

'Including  some  seed  crops  evaluated  in  this  summary  as  hay. 


Ogle  County  55 

Table  11  gives  a  summary  of  the  results  in  terms  of  the  average  annual  crop 
yields  obtained  since  the  plots  have  been  under  complete  treatment. 

In  considering  these  results,  the  most  striking  feature  to  be  observed  is 
the  outstanding  effect  of  farm  manure.  The  average  annual  increase  per  acre 
in  crop  yields  due  to  the  use  of  manure  alone  amounts  to  nearly  20  bushels  of 
corn,  more  than  12  bushels  of  oats,  nearly  7  bushels  of  wheat,  %  of  a  ton  of 
clover,  and  %  of  a  ton  of  soybean  hay. 

Organic  manure  in  the  form  of  crop  residues  has  also  produced  increases  in 
yields  altho  not  to  the  extent  of  those  produced  by  animal  manure. 

Limestone  in  addition  to  organic  manures  has,  with  a  single  exception, 
effected  more  or  less  improvement,  probably  sufficient  to  cover  the  expense  of 
application. 

Rock  phosphate,  as  usual,  shows  up  to  best  advantage  used  with  residues  on 
the  wheat  crop.  The  effect  on  other  crops,  however,  has  been  such  that  the 
increases  in  yield  are  not  sufficient  to  cover  the  cost  of  the  application  under 
existing  market  conditions. 

Altho  potassium  has  produced  an  average  increase  of  3.5  bushels  an  acre  in 
corn,  the  effects  on  other  crops  are  such  as  to  render  its  use  unprofitable  in 
growing  these  common  field  crops. 

THE  VIENNA  FIELD 

Inasmuch  as  Ogle  county  embraces  in  its  Yellow  Silt  Loam  and  certain 
other  soil  types  considerable  land  that  is  subject  to  destruction  thru  erosion  or 
washing,  an  account  of  the  experiments  on  the  Vienna  field  should  be  of  interest 
in  this  report. 

The  Vienna  field,  located  in  Johnson  county,  is  representative  of  the  sloping 
erodible  land  so  prevalent  in  that  section  of  the  state.  Experiments  were  con- 
ducted nine  years  with  the  purpose  of  testing  different  methods  of  reclaiming 
this  badly  gullied  land  and  preventing  further  erosion.  The  whole  field  with 
the  exception  of  about  three  acres  had  been  abandoned  because  so  much  of  the 
surface  soil  had  washed  away  and  there  were  so  many  gullies  as  to  render  further 
cultivation  of  this  land  unprofitable.  Experiments  were  started  at  once  to  reclaim 
this  land,  the  different  methods  described  below  being  used  for  this  purpose. 

The  field  was  divided  into  five  sections.  The  sections  designated  as  A,  B, 
and  C  were  divided  into  four  plots  each,  and  D  into  three  plots.  On  section  A, 
which  included  the  steepest  part  of  the  area  and  contained  many  gullies,  the 
land  was  built  up  into  terraces  at  vertical  intervals  of  five  feet.  Near  the  edge 
of  each  terrace  a  small  ditch  was  placed  so  that  the  water  could  be  carried  to  a 
natural  outlet  without  much  washing. 

On  section  B  the  so-called  embankment  method  was  used.  By  this  method 
erosion  is  prevented  by  plowing  up  ridges  sufficiently  high  so  that  on  the  occa- 
sion of  a  heavy  rainfall,  if  the  water  breaks  over,  it  will  run  over  in  a  broad  sheet 
rather  than  in  narrow  channels.  At  the  steepest  part  of  the  slope  hillside  ditches 
were  made  for  carrying  away  the  run-off. 

Section  C  was  washed  badly  but  contained  only  small  gullies.  Here  the 
attempt  was  made  to  prevent  washing  by  incorporating  organic  matter  in  the 


56 


Soil  Report  No.  38:    Supplement 


Fig.  4. — View  op  an  Unimproved  Hillside  Just  Over  the  Fence  from  the  Field 

Shown  in  Fig.  5 

soil  and  practicing  deep  contour  plowing  and  contour  planting.  With  two 
exceptions,  about  8  loads  of  manure  per  acre  were  turned  under  each  year  for 
the  corn  crop. 

The  land  on  section  D  was  washed  to  about  the  same  extent  as  that  of  sec- 
tion C.  As  a  check  on  the  different  methods  of  reducing  erosion,  the  land  on 
section  D  was  farmed  in  the  most  convenient  way,  without  any  special  effort 
being  made  to  prevent  washing. 

Section  E  was  badly  eroded  and  gullied  and  no  attempt  was  made  to  crop 
it  other  than  to  fill  in  the  gullies  with  brush  and  to  seed  the  land  to  grass. 

Sections  A,  B,  C,  and  D  Avere  not  entirely  uniform ;  some  parts  were  washed 
more  than  others  and  portions  of  the  lower-lying  land  had  been  affected  by  soil 


Fig.  5. 


-Corn  Growing  on  Improved  Hillside  of  the  Vienna  Experiment  Field. 
Land  Formerly  Had  Been  Badly  Erroded.    Compare  with  Fig.  4 


This 


Ogle  County 


57 


Table  12. — VIENNA  FIELD;  Handling  Hillside  Land  to  Prevent  Erosion 
Average  Annual  Yields,  1907-1915—  Bushels  or  (tons)  per  acre 


Section 

Method 

Corn 

7  crops 

Wheat 
7  crops 

Clover 
3  crops 

A 

Terrace                                          

31.4 
32.4 

27.9 
14.1 

9.0 
12.7 

11.7 
4.6 

(    .68) 

B 

Embankments  and  hillside  ditches 

(   .97) 

C 

Organic  matter,  deep  contour  plowing,  and  con- 
tour planting 

(   .80) 

D 

Check 

(   .21) 

material  washed  down  from  above.  When  the  field  was  secured,  the  higher  land 
liad  a  very  low  producing  capacity.    On  many  spots  little  or  nothing  would  grow. 

Limestone  was  applied  to  the  entire  field  at  the  rate  of  2  tons  per  acre. 
Corn,  cowpeas,  wheat,  and  clover  were  grown  in  a  four-year  rotation  on  each 
section  except  D  which  had  but  three  plots. 

Table  12  contains  a  summarized  statement  of  the  results  obtained. 

These  results  indicate  something  of  the  possibilities  in  improving  hillside 
land  by  protecting  it  from  erosion.  The  average  yield  of  corn  from  the  pro- 
tected series  (A,  B,  and  C)  was  30.6  bushels  per  acre,  as  against  14.1  bushels 
for  series  D;  wheat  yielded  11.1  bushels  in  comparison  with  4.6  bushels;  and 
clover  .82  ton  in  comparison  with  .21  ton. 

A  comparison  of  Figs.  4  and  5  will  serve  to  indicate  the  possibility  of  im- 
proving this  type  of  soil. 

THE  OQUAWKA  FIELD 

In  1913  the  University  established  an  experiment  field  on  Dune  Sand,  Ter- 
race, in  Henderson  county,  near  the  Mississippi  river.  This  field  is  divided  into 
six  series  of  plots.  Corn,  soybean,  wheat,  sweet  clover,  and  rye,  with  a  catch 
crop  of  sweet  clover  seeded  in  the  rye  on  the  residues  plots,  are  grown  in  rotation 
on  five  series,  while  the  sixth  series  is  devoted  to  alfalfa.  When  sweet  clover 
seeded  in  the  wheat  fails,  cowpeas  are  substituted. 

Table  13  indicates  the  kinds  of  treatment  applied,  the  amounts  of  the  ma- 
terials used  being  in  accord  with  the  standard  practice,  as  explained  on  page  47. 

The  data  make  apparent  the  remarkably  beneficial  action  of  limestone  on 
this  sand  soil.  Where  limestone  has  been  used  in  conjunction  with  crop  residues, 
the  yield  of  corn  has  been  practically  doubled.  The  limestone  has  also  produced 
good  crops  of  rye  and  fair  crops  of  sweet  clover  and  alfalfa. 

This  land  appears  to  be  quite  indifferent  to  treatment  with  rock  phosphate. 
The  analyses  show,  however,  that  the  stock  of  phosphorus  in  this  type  of  soil  is 
not  large,  and  it  may  develop  as  time  goes  on  and  the  supply  diminishes  along 
with  the  production  of  good-sized  crops,  that  the  application  of  this  element  will 
become  profitable.  It  is  also  quite  possible  that  a  more  available  form  of  phos- 
phate could  be  used  to  advantage  on  this  very  sandy  soil. 

Altho  the  results  show  an  increase  of  about  2  bushels  of  corn  from  the  use 
of  potassium  salts,  with  ordinary  prices  this  would  not  be  a  profitable  treatment. 


58 


Soil  Report  No.  38:    Supplement 


Table  13.— OQUAWKA  FIELD:  Summary  of  Crop  Yields 
Average  Annual  Yields,  1915-1926 — Bushels  or  (tons)  per  acre 


Serial 
plot 
No. 


Soil  treatment 
applied 


Corn 

Soybeans' 

Wheat 

Sweet  clo- 
ver^ 

Rye 

12  crops 

12  crops 

12  crops 

8  crops 

10  crops 

20.2 

(    .99) 

8.7 

0.0 

12.1 

25.3 

(1.19) 

12.0 

0.0 

13.7 

33.4 

(1.61) 

16.1 

1.03 

24.7 

33.9 

(1.56) 

16.4 

1.05 

23.4 

19.7 

(   .77) 

10.7 

0  0 

12.7 

21.2 

(   .82) 

12.2 

0.0 

12.9 

37.2 

(1.17) 

15.1 

1.41 

24.0 

37.0 

(1.25) 

15.6 

1.28 

24.1 

39.2 

(1.20) 

14.9 

1.49 

26.0 

18.6 

(   .71) 

9.6 

0,0 

10.3 

Alfalfa 
9  crops 


9 

10 


0 

M 

ML... 
MLP.. 

0 

R 

RL... 
RLP.  . 

RLPK 
0 


.42) 

.92) 

2.37) 

2.45) 

.40) 

.45) 

2.11) 

2.10) 

2.17) 
.29) 


Crop  Increases 


M  over  0 . 
R  over  0. 


ML  over  M. 
RL  over  R.  . 


MLP  over  ML. 
RLP  over  RL . 


RLPK  over  RLP . 


5.1 
1.5 

(   .20) 
(   .05) 

3.3 
1.5 

0  0 
0.0 

1.6 
.2 

8.1 
16.0 

(   .42) 
(   .35) 

4.1 

2.9 

1.03 

1.41 

11.0 
11.1 

.5 
-    .2 

(-.05) 
(   .08) 

.3 
.5 

.02 
-    .13 

-   1.3 
.1 

2.2 

(-.05) 

-    .07 

.21 

1.9 

.50) 
.05) 

1.45) 
1.66) 


(- 


.08) 
.01) 

.07) 


'Eleven  regular  crops,  together  with  the  extra  crop  described  in  the  following  footnote,  aver- 
aged as  11  crops.  Several  crops  which  were  harvested  as  seed  are  evaluated  iu  this  summary  as 
hay. 

^Some  hay  evaluated  as  seed.  In  1918  the  sweet  clover  was  killed  by  early  cutting  for  a  hay 
crop.     Soybeans  were  seeded  in  July  and  the  ensuing  crop  is  included  in  the  soybean  average. 

The  slight  increases  from  the  use  of  potassium  appearing  in  the  other  crops  are 
scarcely  significant. 

A  significant  fact  which  the  above  summary  does  not  bring  out  is  that  im- 
provement under  favorable  treatment  has  been  progressive  as  evidenced  by  a 
very  marked  upward  trend  in  production  after  the  first  few  years.  For  example, 
it  may  be  noted  that  the  yield  of  corn  under  the  limestone-residues  treatment 
has  been  37.2  bushels  an  acre  as  an  average  for  the  12  crops  since  full  treatment 
started,  but  if  we  take  an  average  of  the  last  five  crops,  the  yield  rises  to  42.9 
bushels.  Likewise  the  wheat  yield  under  this  same  treatment  for  the  11-year 
average  is  15.1  bushels,  but  the  average  for  the  last  five  years  is  22.3  bushels. 

Experience  thus  far  shows  rye  to  be  better  adapted  to  this  land  than  wheat, 
and  both  alfalfa  and  sweet  clover  thrive  better  than  soybeans.  With  these  two 
legume  crops  thriving  so  well  under  this  simple  treatment,  we  have  promise  of 
great  possibilities  for  the  profitable  culture  of  this  land,  which  hitherto  has  been 
considered  as  practically  worthless. 

THE  MANITO  FIELD 

The  results  secured  on  the  Manito  experiment  field  which  was  located  on 
Deep  Peat  and  which  was  in  operation  during  the  years  1902  to  1905,  inclusive, 
are  presented  in  Table  14. 

There  were  ten  plots  receiving  the  treatments  indicated  in  the  table.  Where 
potassium  was  applied,  the  jdeld  was  three  to  four  times  as  large  as  where 


Ogle  County 


59 


Manure 
Yield:    Nothing 


Manure  and  limestone 
Yield:    4.43  tons  per  acre 


Fig.  6. — Alfai^fa  on  the  Oquawka  Field 
These  pictures  show  the  possibility  of  improving  this  unproductive   sandy  land   of  the 
Oquawka  field.     Both  plots  were  seeded  alike  to  alfalfa.    Where  manure  alone  was  applied,  the 
crop  was  a  total  failure,  but  where  limestone  in  addition  to  manure  was  applied,  nearly  4^^  tons 
of  alfalfa  hay  was  obtained  as  the  season's  yield. 

nothing  was  applied.  Where  approximately  equal  money  values  of  kainit  and 
potassium  ehlorid  were  applied,  slightly  greater  yields  were  obtained  with  the 
potassium  ehlorid,  which,  however,  supplied  about  one-third  more  potassium  than 


Table  14.— MANITO  FIELD:    Deep  Peat 
Annual  Crop  Yields — Bushels  per  Acre 


Plot 

No. 

Soil  treatment 
1902 

Corn 
1902 

Corn 
1903 

Soil  treatment 
1904 

Corn 
1904 

Corn 
1905 

1 

None 

10.9 
10.4 
30.4 

30.3 
31.2 
11.1 
13.3 
36.8 
26.4 
1 

8.1 
10.4 
32.4 

33.3 
33.9 
13.1 
14.5 
37.7 
25.1 
14.9 

None 

17.0 
12.0 

49.6 

53.5 
48.5 
24.0 
44.5 
44.0 
41.5 
26.0 

12.0- 

2 

None 

Kainit,  600  lbs 

Kainit,  600  lbs..  Acidulated 

bone,  350  lbs 

Potassium  ehlorid,  200  lbs .  . 

Sodium  ehlorid,  700  lbs 

Sodium  ehlorid,  700  lbs 

Kainit,  600  lbs   

Limestone,  4000  lbs 

10  1 

3 

Limestone,  4000  lbs.,  Kainit, 
1200  lbs         

47.3 

4 

Kainit,  1200  lbs..  Steamed 
bone   395  lbs 

47.6 

5 
6 

7 
8 

Potassium  ehlorid,  400  lbs.  . 

None 

Kainit,  1200  lbs 

Kainit,  600  lbs 

Kainit,  300  lbs     

52.7 
22.1 
47.3 
46.0 

9 

Kainit,  300  lbs .  .  .    . 

32.9 

10 

None 

None 

13.6 

'Yield  not  recorded  for  1902. 


60  Soil  Report  No.  38:    Supplement 

the  kainit.     However,  either  material  furnished  more  potassium  than  was  re- 
quired by  the  crops  produced. 

The  use  of  700  pounds  of  sodium  ehlorid  (common  salt)  produced  no  appre- 
ciable increase  over  the  best  untreated  plots,  indicating  that  where  potassium 
is  itself  actually  deficient,  salts  of  other  elements  cannot  take  its  place. 

Applications  of  2  tons  per  acre  of  ground  limestone  produced  no  increase  in 
the  corn  crops,  either  when  applied  alone  or  in  combination  with  kainit,  either 
the  first  year  or  the  second. 

Reducing  the  application  of  kainit  from  600  to  300  pounds  for  each  two- 
year  period  reduced  the  total  yield  of  corn  from  164.5  to  125.9  bushels.  The  two 
applications  of  300  pounds  of  kainit  (Plot  9)  appear  to  be  insufficient. 


List  of  Soil  Reports  Published 


1  Clay,  1911 

2  Moultrie,   1911 

3  Hardin,  1912 

4  Sangamon,  1912 

5  LaSalle,  1913 

6  Knox,  1913 

7  McDonough,  1913 

8  Bond,  1913 

9  Lake,  1915 

10  McLean,  1915 

11  Pike,  1915 

12  Winnebago,  1916 

13  Kankakee,  1916 

14  Tazewell,  1916 

15  Edgar,  1917 

16  DuPage,  1917 

17  Kane,  1917 

18  Champaign,  1918 

19  Peoria,  1921 


20  Bureau,  1921 

21  McHenry,  1921 

22  Iroquois,  1922 

23  DeKalb,  1922 

24  Adams,  1922 

25  Livingston,  1923 

26  Grundy,  1924 

27  Hancock,  1924 

28  Mason,  1924 

29  Mercer,  1925 

30  Johnson,  1925 

31  Rock  Island,  1925 

32  Randolph,  1925 

33  Saline,  1926 

34  Marlon,  1926 

35  Will,  1926 

36  Woodford,  1927 

37  Lee,  1927 

38  Ogle,  1927 


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